Stuff of Legend
by timelordsdaleksandsherlockohmy
Summary: Collection of one shots, mostly concerned with the Doctor and Rose, my favorite pairing. Could be Nine or Ten or both. Not like that, you pervy. Including appearances by Captain Jack, Donna, Martha, Mickey, Jackie, Pete, Jenny and so on and so forth.
1. Words that Need Saying

**A/N: A collection of one-shots, drabbles, what-ifs, alt. endings, AUs and whatnot mostly focused on Rose and the Doctor, both Nine and Ten. With a few here and there concentrated on other characters. Could end up being ten chapters. Could end up being a hundred, but I've got to start somewhere, so this one here is a bit of a taste of what most of us craved from the end of series 4, an ****alternative ending to Journey's End.**

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**Words that Need Saying**

_If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it's yours forever.  
-Anonymous_

"When I last stood on this beach, on the worst day of my life, what was the last thing you said to me? Go on, say it."

He took a deep breath, looking down. "I said 'Rose Tyler.'"

"Yeah," she agreed shortly. "And how was that sentence gonna end?"

His eyes were dark with sorrow as he gazed at her, hands buried in his pockets. "Does it nee- Oh!" He interrupted himself suddenly. "Who am I kidding? Course it needs saying. Otherwise I wouldn't have started to say..." He darted forward, grabbed her hand and pulled her back toward him. "Guess it'll be my first chance now, and truth be told, you already know…unless, of course, you're that dense….I mean, everyone else knew-."

"Doctor," Rose interrupted softly, her eyes glistening. He was rambling now, and they both knew it.

"Sorry," he frowned. "Right, the words that need saying. Rose Tyler," he murmured, "I-."

"Hold on!" Jackie exclaimed suddenly from the sidelines. "Don't I get a say in this?!"

"Mum!" Rose groaned in frustration.

"No, Rose. 'E says it, and I lose you again. You'll go off and leave me again to go fly 'round the universe like it's nobody's business 'til you get yourselves killed!"

"It isn't nobody's business. It's not your choice! 'S mine. You've got to let me go. Because I can't-."

"I love you." Though the waves continued to break on the beach, the silence amongst the people was deafening. Rose had frozen, her hands in midair, her lips in midsentence. She turned slowly to look up at him again, and suddenly they were the only two people in the entire universe. His eyes burned into hers.

"What did you say?" She murmured disbelievingly.

"I said-." At this, he bent to whisper in her ear. Seconds later, she had grasped his coat's collar, bringing his face down to meet hers. When they parted breathlessly, he grinned excitedly down at her. "Rose Tyler, would you make me the happiest man alive and come traveling with me…again?"

"Yes, Doctor, I will." She laughed. He held out his hand, wiggling his fingers. And she took it as trustingly as on the first day when he'd had a different face, when her future contained picket fences and taxes instead of aliens and stars, before her life became what it was meant to be.

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**A/N: In the chapters to come, I'm going to have such incredible fun playing with the ending to "Journey's End," but for the meantime, you'll just have to put up with this. Someone pointed out that Jackie's a bit selfish here, a point with which I agree and may have to fix soon. Also to let you know, the hogganoodles are after me and will devour me if I don't have reviews to give them, so... *help*!**


	2. The Domestic Life?

**Disclaimer: Forgot this last chapter, so may as well include it here. I don't own Doctor Who because if I did, the show's version of Journey's End and my version of Journey's End would be worlds apart, i.e. Rose and the Doctor would never be separated again. Even if he tends to make out with the wrong blonde countless times.**

**A/N: This little bit here is an alternate ending to "The Satan Pit," not that I didn't just love the way it went. Sort of. But I always wondered…So here it goes.**

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**The Domestic Life?**

The Doctor clenched his teeth as the planet disappeared into the black hole taking the TARDIS and Toby with it. He'd figured it out. Of course he had. He shivered to think of what would have happened if the cable hadn't snapped when it did taking the lift the ten miles down with it. He and Ida would have gone down and then Rose… He didn't want to think about it. A warm hand enveloped his. He looked back to see Rose leaning forward in her straps. Her eyes tried to comfort him. She was thinking about him, the TARDIS. Never herself. He turned back and squeezed her hand. No, he didn't know why he was worrying. She was Rose Tyler. She could do anything. Of course she could. Absorbed the time vortex. Saved the world. If he believed in anything, it was Rose Tyler, defender of the earth. His hero.

**One year later**

She turned the key in the lock. The door swung open as she pushed it with her foot and trudged in, groceries weighing her down. She placed them down on the bench. "Honey, I'm home!' She called with a laugh.

"In here!" He called from somewhere in the distance. She took off her jacket and slung it over the railing and skipped down a bare hallway. She slipped into his library to see him sitting in the chair she'd gotten him at a bargain just last week.

"Not clipping coupons, are you?" She asked lightly as she perched in his lap. Her arm wound about his neck.

He groaned contentedly and rested his arm on her waist. "Oh, no. Never me."

She slipped his specs off him and tucked them into his blazer pocket. "That's better, brown eyes," she teased.

"Oi," he feigned hurt. "Thought you liked the specs."

She grinned. "Yeah, but I like this better." And she leaned down. Their lips met.

He slid his fingers through her bright blonde hair, then pulled back suddenly. "Wait. The Smiths. They were going to come see the house today."

"John," she chided, poking his nose. "You worry too much. We've got time. Besides, I have a feeling they don't really plan on coming back. Too young, too restless. Mr. Smith practically pulled his wife's arm out of her socket on the way to get out yesterday." She kissed him again.

He sighed her name. "Maggie."

**Somewhere far across the universe, in another dimension, **the Smiths laughed hysterically as they stumbled outside the blue Police Public Call Box, the Powell Estate within their sights.

"Told you," Mrs. Smith stated triumphantly.

"Oh," he dragged out the syllable. "Never doubted you. Knew you could do anything." He hadn't before, but now, as the last glimmers of gold faded from her eyes, he believed it explicitly. "Home," he whispered. A man with no planet, no country, no family, no house. No. None of that. He didn't need any of that. Not when he had her.

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**A/N: Ha! Did I fool anyone? Just a reminder: The more reviews I get, the more I post! **


	3. To Do Number 74,902

**Disclaimer: Don't own Doctor Who because then I might have made him ginger. Just like he wants.**

**A/N: Bit of an alt. ending to "Doomsday." You know, something that doesn't make you cry. Except maybe with relief.**

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**To-Do #74,902**

Rose flew backwards towards the Void and away from him. He watched in horror as she slipped further from him with every second. There was nothing he could do. Unless… Feeling his hearts beating double time, he waited, willing, hoping. Suddenly, a man appeared out of thin air, caught Rose in his arms and disappeared just as swiftly. For that moment that he'd been suspended midair, however, he'd looked over Rose's shoulder directly at him, and he'd winked. As the last of the Daleks and Cybermen slipped into the Void, it closed. He disentangled himself from the clamp, smiling wide. He took a notepad from his back pocket, flipped it open somewhere near the back and crossed number 74,902 from his To-Do list: Wink at myself from another point in space. He then skipped away to the TARDIS to go back in time and save Rose Tyler.

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**A/N: Before I forget again, wanted to give a quick shout out down here to The Chibi's are Stalking Me. Taught me it's not evil to borrow things when you're writing. So I borrowed her idea a bit to start my own collection of one shots. But different. She's completely random and amazing, and I'd recommend hers (Whatif) anytime, day or night, any universe. Really. Read. And, if you don't mind, a little feedback over here would be quite nice. Thanks! P.S. You can't hate me for this note being almost as long as the chapter because I just wrote what every DW/Rose fan in the world wanted. Ta.**


	4. Rose's Room

**Disclaimer: Nothing Doctor Who is mine. Happy now?**

**A/N: Just a bit of wondering transformed into words. Title pretty much speaks for itself.**

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**Rose's Room**

The Doctor's newest companion had taken the day to explore the Tardis. Sure, she spent more time on the worlds the Tardis took her to than on the actual ship itself. But that was the point. Why she'd taken it upon herself to explore. After all, the Tardis was a living being who took her to all these unbelievable places in the first place. Taking that for granted was criminal. So, as the Doctor busied himself beneath the console, sonic screwdriver between his teeth, she was traveling the many twists and turns of the Tardis hallways.

Skipping over a bundle of rope and skirting a bunch of barrels, she passed through the kitchen, the loo and into unknown territory. The huge library. A storage room. One room chalk full of pillows. Another, the floor bouncy as a trampoline. Another with a blue spidery hologram-like web floating and humming in the middle. A room with what seemed to be a pool full of bubbles. A room full to bursting with art, silent as a museum. A room resembling a cave. The next room surprised her with its normalcy. A woman's bedroom. No, upon closer inspection, not just one woman's room. Women's room. As her eyes fell upon various odds and ends, she realized she must be in the room for the companions. The room was littered with junk, but she smiled, and her throat tightened as she realized that her own junk would soon be as haphazardly spread across the carpet as well. She ran her fingers over a stethoscope. A bathrobe with a fancy D sown in gold. A hairbrush with red strands. She bit her lips as she backed out with a smile.

"_Got to show you to your room soon," _he'd said brightly only the day before.

She wandered down the hall and nearly missed a door. She backtracked and raised her hand to the knob, then hesitated. Something about the room seemed taboo. The door was different than any other on the Tardis. It seemed too earth-like, too 21st century. Something she could have had at home. Something prompted her to ignore her hesitation, and she grasped the crystal doorknob and swung it open slowly. Her breath caught. The room was unlike any other. A bedroom like hers but so pretty and clean. It looked like it was tended to every day. Pink and yellow. She wandered in, gazing around in wonder. She gazed in shock at the window. The frilly white curtains were pulled back to reveal a baby blue Earth sky, scattered with fluffy clouds, the sun shining brightly from somewhere in the distance. She blinked. Hold on, no. That was impossible. First of all, as far as she knew, the Tardis didn't have windows. At least none that functioned properly. Second of all, they were floating in space. Bewitched. The word popped unbidden into her mind. Yes, she thought. That was it. Like the ceiling at Hogwarts bewitched to look like the outside sky. Only, this was science. So more like a hologram. Her brow furrowed. The Doctor's work obviously. But for who?

Her eyes travelled over the pink and red duvet on the bed, thrown back almost as if its occupant had left it not moments earlier. She could almost imagine the dent of a head in the pillow. A picture frame containing the photo of a family caught her attention. She picked it up to study it closely. A blonde woman next to a red haired man. The woman held a baby, at least a year old. She didn't recognize any of them. No clue as to who any of this was for. She placed it back down and wandered to the closet full to bursting. Her hands ran across a blue zipped sweater, a jean jacket, a pink 50's skirt, a full black and red dress and a purple-red scarf. She turned to face the room again. Suddenly, she felt cold. And completely and utterly alone. The room was so bright, so pretty, but it chilled her to the bone. Because it was waiting. Waiting so hard you could almost hear it. And the lonely, dark feeling that made her heart sink was the realization from somewhere within her subconscious that whoever the room was waiting for, all ready and perfect and clean, would never again step foot in it, would never again sleep in the unkempt bed, never wear the pink high heels again, never sit gazing through the window at an outside world as artificial as the waiting illusion inside. She suddenly wanted out, didn't care to know who or why. An alarm clock beside the bed blared. 7:30, it read.

A movement from the corner of her eye started her frozen. The Doctor stood in the doorway. His eyes blazed. Rage, anger, pain and loneliness were etched across his face and emanated from him in waves. And she realized it was not the room that was waiting but him.

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Rose ran her tongue over her teeth, her throat tight. She'd lived with her mom for nineteen years. It was time. Still, there were moments when she wanted to curl up in her mother's lap like the little girl she'd been not too long ago. Didn't matter. She'd made her choice. Final decision. From here on out, it was the Doctor and Rose.

"Long term, full time, permanent," The Doctor echoed her thoughts, smiling brightly. "Right then, let's show you to your room." He shifted her huge bag to the other arm and held his arm out.

She hooked her own through his. "That's hardly the end of the world," Rose scoffed.

The Doctor tilted his head with a grin. "Just you wait."

They lost themselves in the maze of the Tardis hallways. As they turned a certain corner, Rose detangled herself from his arm and rushed ahead. "Wait, wait, wait. I want to do this one." She said excitedly.

The Doctor watched as she grasped the doorknob. He could let her. Let her move in among the remnants of companions past. She could throw herself onto the same bed as Sarah Jane, just in her different Rose way she had of doing things. She could peek her head from the door like Susan when he knocked, her smile her own. He could let her become like the rest. Share the same room. No different from the others. If he did, that would define them. Whatever they were becoming. And whatever was growing between them could slip into the realm of choices never made, moments never lived, what could have been but never was. And he never had to find out what could be. Because one day, like all the others, she could fade away into space, become another goodbye with time, just one face among others. The choice was his. All he had to do was let her open a door. And she would become just companion number…what was it now?

But no, he'd seen what it could be, and if he didn't get the chance to live that no matter how it might end, he might as well just give up now. He needed to live through it all, find out everything that could be.

"Rose." She stopped, looking curiously back at him, her hand pausing on the knob. His head shook almost imperceptibly. "No. Not that one. This one here. Just for you." He gestured towards another door. White with a crystal clear knob, not unlike her door at home.

"But I thought-" He put a finger to his lips, then swung the door open. She shut her mouth and wandered with awe into her bed room straight from home down to the candle sticks. Her eyes roamed the walls, the floors, her things. Any last tendrils of homesickness faded away. She gazed through the window. The same view from the Powell Estate, but better somehow. She looked back at him, awe and wonder and something else sparkling in her eyes.

"How-" Her voice caught.

He placed the bag on the bed and shrugged. "Wasn't me," he said flippantly. "Told you I don't do the domestic. Also told you the Tardis was psychic. And she likes you." He smiled brightly as he left the room, closing the door behind him.

She knew he was lying, and he knew she knew. But they wouldn't speak of it. Even though she may have wanted to. Somehow, he was happier leaving certain things unsaid. So the gesture would flutter down to rest on a pile of other things left unsaid but still alive and vibrant and real: a brush of the fingertips, a quick meeting of the eyes, a shared and knowing smile. She knew the other room was for companions. Had even slept once there. Always figured it'd be partly hers one day. Had even looked forward to it. Her tongue slipped between smiling teeth. Somehow, though, like everything else when it came to the Doctor, this was so much better. Because even if he'd never say it, she knew. And that was enough.

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Our newest companion looked down at the floor as she slipped past the Doctor, unable to meet his eyes. Without thinking, she slipped back into her room, the words unspoken but there. This would be her room, never the other. She sat on the bed and clenched the edge. Moments later, she heard a door from beyond close. She peeked her head out. The hallway was empty. And suddenly she wondered if this was where he disappeared to sometimes. He came back so quiet. And she wondered how many times a day he did it. And for how much longer he would do it. She really didn't want to know the answers to any of her questions, didn't care to know the details. Because, somehow, she knew there were no words painful enough. She closed the door.

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**A/N: So, bit of a stretch, but you never really do find out about the inside of the Tardis beyond the console and costume rooms. I love the idea of Rose's room as this. And I know the way I described is a bit different than the way you see it in "Rose" or "World War 3," but nevertheless, that's hardly the point here. Sorry for any typos/misspellings, but it is a little late over here. Review if you liked. Read a banana if you didn't. And if you figure out how to do that second one, let me know, because I'm still clueless.**


	5. Making Every Moment Count

**A/N: For any readers I've managed to pick up thus far, in case you're confused with the update, I moved this (originally Ch. 1) here and replaced it with something a little stronger, an alt. ending to JE. This one is set during Series One, Father's Day episode. Rose's thoughts after losing the Doctor.**

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**Making Every Moment Count**

_Nobody said it was easy/It's such a shame for us to part/Nobody said it was easy/No one ever said it would be this hard/Oh take me back to the start  
-"The Scientist," Coldplay_

Rose had never been quite fast enough. She'd been slow to accept the Doctor's invitation on Day One. Slow to make it through the door after Adam. And that had been with a Dalek chasing her. And now, again, too slow. The beast, created by a disturbance in time and space, by her own foolish doing…it had devoured him. It didn't matter that there would have been little she would have been able to do. Because nothing was impossible. If there was one thing he'd taught her by now, it was that. So she might have been able to do something. If only she hadn't been too slow. Even as these thoughts crossed her mind seconds within each other, another darker, deeper thought lingered. None of it quite mattered. Certainly not the time she'd been too late before. Because he'd always been there to make things right again. Day one, he hadn't taken no for an answer. And just last week, he'd opened that door for her, doom and Daleks be damned.

"_For once you're not the most important man in my life."_

The echo of her harsh words in her mind made her flinch. With a moan, she buried her face in her hands. God, she had such a big mouth and out of everything she'd said that day, not one of them really, truly mattered. Except maybe her apology, but even that was no good at this point.

"_Just tell me you're sorry."_

Rose's throat clenched as she fought back an onslaught of sobs and tears. She could almost imagine the feel of his huge warm palm cupping half her face still. It was amazing how he managed to make each word, each and every action count. No matter how seemingly foolish…he didn't waste a second. Not like her. Nineteen years of her life practically all wasted moments. But he managed to make every single solitary second of his nine hundred year existence count.

"_Another stupid ape."_

Rose's heart clenched. This couldn't be the end. Not his end. Not by a stupid primate like her. A hand fell on her shoulder and for one crazy moment, she thought it was him, always doing the impossible. She looked up into her father's eyes and saw that it was not the end, that his next moments would count for everything.

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**A/N: I love spicy. I love reviews. And I just adore spicy reviews. Do be a giver.**


	6. Only One

**A/N: Nine/Rose. Sentenced to death on an alien planet and put in a cell to await execution. But together. Not so bad. **

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**Only One**

Rose listened in numb horror as their speaking magistrate, at a desk high above them, slowly became their jury and executioner. She blinked as he spoke three last words. "…penalty is death." She would have protested had she been able to open her jaw, but the police holding her arms roughly behind her had done something to prevent her from speaking. The both of them, though if he'd been able to talk, she was positive the Doctor would have happily explained the scientific terms behind her inability to speak out against her own execution.

For a second, as the guard turned her back towards the door they'd walked through, she was able to catch the Doctor's eyes, filled with questions she could almost hear him asking: _Are you alright? Did they hurt you?_ And assurances: _I'll get us out of this. Always do. Promised your mum I'd keep you safe._ Then he was gone, led ahead of her. She followed listlessly behind.

As they approached a dank, dark cell, the guard's hold on her loosened. Her short relief was soon followed by panic when she felt a shove at her lower back. She hit the wall with her face, pain spreading through her skull. She heard a scuffle from ahead and opened her bleary eyes to see the Doctor struggling with his captors to get to her. She started forward in anger when one of the guards knocked him over the head with his baton.

Suddenly, she found herself able to open her mouth. Naturally, she yelled the first word that came to mind. "Doctor!" This was followed by a blow to her side. She doubled over in pain.

"Rose!" She heard the Doctor shout in blessed relief, then winced at the sound of another strike and a grunt from the Doctor.

"I'm alright," she gasped, then yelped at a kick received by her shoulder.

"Don't hurt her," he roared. And this time, it was one of the guards who got it. He reached out a hand, and Rose hurried to take it when it was snatched away.

"No!" She exclaimed. The cell door was thrown open, and the Doctor was tossed inside. With horror, she heard kicks and blows landing followed by grunts and groans.

"Rose," she heard him mutter.

"I'm 'ere," she called rushing forward, but one of the guards grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back. With a sickening crunch, her head hit the wall, and she slid to the floor dazedly. Two other guards pulled her up by her arms and yanked her, thankfully, inside the same cell. She was too happy at her luck at getting shut up with the Doctor that she hardly felt the few finals blows. As the door closed with a clang, she put a hand to her forehead. Her palm came back warm, sticky and red. From the other side of the cell, she heard a groan and some shuffling but couldn't bring herself to turn. She wanted to sleep, so she could stop feeling the pain and fear.

"Rose." His voice, desperate and panicked, brought her to her senses like nothing else could. She struggled to lean up on her arm, which was throbbing. She realized then that she was shaking, and she could hardly turn herself around on her arms. A noise came from her throat, a dry sob. She saw the Doctor, bruises and cuts battering his usually gleeful face, dragging himself up to lean against the wall. "Come here."

Still shaking, she crawled slowly and painfully over to him.

"Come here." He repeated, holding out an arm. She collapsed on him, dry sobs racking her whole body. He held her against him tightly. She felt his lips in her hair. "Shhh." He calmed her. As the minutes passed in his arms, she felt her shaking subside. "Rose," he whispered.

She tilted her head up. Their faces were infinitely close. She could feel his warm breath on her skin, see the dark blue flecks in his eyes. She could see the guilt etched there as well. He pressed his lips to her forehead, and she closed her eyes, tightening her fingers around his coat.

"There's something I have to say," he murmured.

Rose glanced up sharply at the tone in his voice, the helplessness. His eyes were drenched in it. "Doctor." But it was a question.

"I can't," he started, but there was a tremor in his voice. "I can't promise you we'll make it out of here."

She didn't believe him. "You'll think of somethin'. You always do."

Her irrevocable trust in him filled him with such elation, such hope that he almost believed her. "I do, don't I?"

She nodded trustingly. He traced the cut on her forehead, the blood there drying already. "I'm so sorry." He struggled to say in a low voice that grew stronger, angrier as he continued. "I won't let them hurt you again."

"I know," she said, her voice catching. She kissed his jaw. "I know." She rested her head on his shoulder now, but his fingers were back. They took her chin and tilted her head, so they were eye to eye again.

"I can't promise you we'll make it out of here."

Surprising him as she always did, she smiled. She smiled in the last place he'd ever expected she could smile. She smiled, and he couldn't stop the automatic smile that crept onto his own face, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Dying with you," she teased. "That's not so bad."

His smile faded. "I can't promise," he repeated once more. "In case-." He stopped himself. "Just in case, there's something you need to know."

"Stop." Her smile was gone. "Don't talk like that, Doctor. Everything's going to be alright. You'll see."

He put a finger to her lip, and her throat clenched, leaving her as unable to speak as before in the court room. "In my life," he began. Tears streamed down her face. She shook her head, but he pressed his finger down a bit harder on her lips. "In my life," his voice was catching, "there is only one."

She grasped his hand in hers and looked down, closing her eyes tightly to stop the tears. She pressed his palm to her lips, then looked up again. She pressed her lips to his jaw again, then his cheek. "Well find each other," she murmured, kissing the corner of his lips. This time his lips pursed, returning the gesture. "We always find each other," she finished, and their lips finally found each other. The kiss was desperate and sad. It was everything they'd shared and everything they'd never said in their long time together, and at the same time not long enough to express what they were trying to say.

The cell door burst open again, and they parted in quick fear to see what lay in store for them. Rose let out a shriek of disbelief. The Doctor just stared.

Captain Jack Harkness smiled widely. "And to think you're not a couple,'" the last words in a nearly perfect replication of Rose's voice. He winked. "Wonder what you two do when you _are _a couple. Now, let's go. I didn't get this naked so you two lovebirds could sit here and gawk all day. Let's get a move on!"

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**A/N: Not too angsty, I hope? Especially with that ending. Fluffy, I know, but where's the fun without a bit of fluff? To be perfectly honest, this is a borrowed idea from "Alias," other greatest show in the world, which I do not own and would never ever take credit for. Please do not sue as all appropriate credit has been given where due. And that rhyme there was completely unintentional. So review for my awesomeness of accidental rhyming or suffer the consequences of more…accidental rhyming.**


	7. What Would Nine Do: Doomsday Edition

**What Would Nine Do: Doomsday Edition**

The effort in sending her home had been but half-hearted. He knew she'd find her way back. She always did.

"I made my choice a long time ago." She said decidedly.

He could have kissed her, but it was hardly the time. He grinned brightly instead and held up the weight clamps. "Fancy a work out?"

She tilted her head, laughing. "Let's do it." She hurried to the lever, sticking the clamp to the wall. "Les' save the world."

"Oh, Rose Tyler, you took the words right out of my mouth." His smile faded a second later, his hand ready on the lever. "Hold on, Rose." All traces of humor had faded from his voice. "Whatever you do, hold on."

Her smile was gone, but her eyes twinkled. She nodded almost imperceptibly, then opened her mouth to speak, then stopped. She hesitated, then, "Then you better hold on too, Doctor. Cos I'm always gonna be right behind ya'." He gazed one more infinite moment into her eyes, then they pulled the lever simultaneously.

As the Daleks and Cybermen flashed past, he managed to keep his feet grounded. His eyes never left hers. Out of the corner, he saw her lever shift. His hearts sunk darkly, as she reached out her arm, always the hero, her. Her name died on his lips as horror froze him. From above, it seemed, he watched her lose her grip on the clamp, the lever her only anchor to the universe, to him.

He'd never felt so helpless. "Don't let go!" He bellowed. The fear in her eyes made him angry enough to grip the lever so tightly his bones might crack. He was supposed to protect her from everything. Here they were, feet apart when they might as well be worlds apart for all the good he could do her. "No!" He yelled when she lost grip of one hand. He just might get the 'worlds apart' thing.

Suddenly Rose Tyler was flying backwards right into the void. Her hands reached out to him helplessly. Maybe he couldn't save her from hell, but he sure as hell wasn't letting her go it alone. He let go, reaching towards her. Seconds later, Pete Tyler appeared in and disappeared from thin air, taking his daughter with him. Relief and panic both flooded through him in an instance.

SMACK. He hit the blank, white wall and fell to the ground. It took him a moment to fully grasp reality, which went something like this. The Void was closed. Rose was on one side of it in another universe. He was stuck in a different one. _One more second_. That's what it came down to. If Rose had lost grip one second later, she'd still be here. If he, the Doctor, had let go one second earlier he'd be an inhabitant of hell right now. If Pete Tyler had been one second later, Rose would be. That was something to be happy about, he supposed. Except, if the Void was closed, that meant he'd never see Rose Tyler again, which made him Hell's number one new resident anyway. Reality sucked.

He leapt to his feet and threw himself against the wall. He could accept the tragic fate of his people. He could accept that the Daleks would simply never die. He could even accept that Madonna was still hip. But he would never accept the idea that he would never again see Rose Tyler.

"Rose!" He shouted. "Rose!" He shouted this again and again, banging the wall with his fist, giving each shout ringing emphasis. "Give her back!" He rammed the wall with his shoulder, shouting her name 'til his voice went hoarse. "Come back!" He was getting her back one way or another, logic be damned.

An idea gripped his mind. "Yes!" He exclaimed. He placed his palms flat on the wall and then half his face. "You wait right there, Rose. I'm coming to get you!" He dashed around, out of the room.

He didn't need a map to find her, his blue box. She called out to him. He was hardly aware of where he was going, of turning the key. Suddenly he was playing with the console, willing time to get a move on. Or back, to be precise. The TARDIS hummed to life, but she suddenly seemed to be out of his control. A light flashed red, and the screen blinked rapid figures at him.

"What do you meant you can't?" He yelled, enraged. His eyes burned with barely contained anger. There it was, the Oncoming Storm they all spoke of. Mild usually, for the most part. Unless you messed with Rose Tyler. Then you were toast. Unfortunately, he was taking it all out on not an enemy but his trusty time machine who was telling him something he very much did not want to hear.

"I don't care about fixed points in time," He shouted, not caring how much of a hypocrite he was at that moment. "I'm telling you. Take. Me. Back." The TARDIS powered down softly. She made noises of sympathy. He kicked a railing. "Don't you dare give up on me, T!" He bellowed. "Don't you dare give up on her!" His voice, hoarse from shouting, broke. He leaned on the console, his entire body heaving for air. "Take me to her." He said softly.

In seconds, she roared to life, the central part sliding down and up. He leapt with delight, a dark smile across his face. "That's what I'm talking about!"

When she stopped, he ran to the door and swung it open. He froze in his tracks, his face falling. Space. They were floating in the middle of space. He turned around, deathly silent. "What's the meaning of this?" He spoke through gritted teeth, rushing to the screen. His eyes widened in hurt shock and anger. "What do you mean, close the gaps? Are you out of your little vortex?! I'm not doing a bloody thing 'til I get her back." He leaned down to the console, sonic screwdriver in hand. "Time to do things my way," he muttered.

* * *

Rose threw herself against the wall. "No!" She shouted. "Take me back!" Her fists pounded futilely against it. "Doctor!" She screamed herself hoarse. She kicked at the wall one last time before collapsing against it, sobbing. "Please take me back," she murmured. She felt something then. She couldn't explain the feeling in words, but it was him. And she remembered all he'd done, all he'd been. He'd always saved her.

"_Run." _Shop window dummies. A dying sun. The walking dead. The Slitheen. The Dalek. The mutations of time. _"Rose, I'm coming to get you." _But what she felt was the warm feeling that melted her stomach every time she was safe in his arms again, after the fight. It was a blessed feeling, and she went with it because it just might mean salvation one more time.

She waited for days. Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. They were some of the darkest times, but she never fully lost hope. So when the dream came to her, she wasn't surprised. They packed their things, her a little extra (The TARDIS had the space, after all) and they drove for miles. Then she waited some more on the damp little beach. Hours, it seemed, until something told her to turn, so she did.

There he stood. Not ten feet away, but something was wrong. He looked like an apparition. She approached him slowly.

"Where are you?" She asked tentatively. He gazed at her for a full moment before answering, his voice grim.

"Inside the TARDIS. There's one tiny little gap in the universe left, just about to close. And it takes a lot of power to send this projection- I'm in orbit around a supernova." He smiled weakly. "I'm burning up a sun just to say," he stopped. "Just to see you."

She smiled sadly back. "You look like a ghost."

"Oh. Wait just a tick." He lifted a hand and used the sonic screwdriver, becoming more solid.

She lifted a hand. "Can I-."

"I'm still just an image. No touch," he said matter of factly, but his eyes burned.

Rose caught the look in his eyes, and her vision blurred faintly as tears formed. "Can't you come through properly?"

"The whole thing would fracture. Two universes would collapse."

"So?" They both gave shaky laughs, but Rose found her demeanor beginning to fall apart.

"How long have we got?"

"About two minutes," he replied gruffly.

"I can't think of what to say." Her voice was trembling.

He spoke to distract himself. "Oh, Mickey the idiot still there then?" He asked, gesturing towards the other three on the beach.

She nodded. "There's five of us now. Mum, Dad, Mickey.... and the baby."

He chuckled. "Hat off to Pete and Jackie Tyler. Don't waste time, do they?"

She laughed with him, but her eyes were troubled. "Am I ever going to see you again?" She blurted out, unable to help herself."

"It's impossible." His voice broke, and he had to look down so as to at least pretend composure.

Following suit, she took a deep breath, though tears welled in her eyes. "What are you going to do?"

"Back to the TARDIS. Same old life."

"On your own?"

He smiled with sorrow. "Yes. No one else out there quite like you."

"I-." She started, but her voice broke. She looked down and took shallow breaths. "I love you." Her eyes were so filled with sorrow and love.

He reached up a hand as if to touch her. "Do you know something?" He asked suddenly. She shook her head. "One," he answered. "When I say impossible, I do mean impossible. Two, but we are forgetting…I'm the Doctor! Three, I need you to count to one hundred for me," he grinned hugely, "and just in case, four, Rose Tyler, I-." He disappeared.

Rose started forward in disbelief. Her heart pounded. _No_, she thought. _'Count to one hundred.' _She took a shaky breath. "One. Two. Three…Ninety-nine." Her voice had begun to tremble again. Tears streamed in rivulets down her face. "One hundred." Her voice broke, and she brought her hand to her face to muffle a sob. She turned and began running towards her mum who caught her in her arms. Rose sobbed there for minutes on end, feeling worse than dead.

Her chest felt like it was burning. All of a sudden, she realized that was because her chest actually _was _burning. She gasped in pain and staggered backwards, her hand flying to her neck where the chain rested on which she held the key to the TARDIS. Using her gloves, she drew it away from her skin to see it was brightly glowing gold. She stopped crying and looked up. Her mum, shocked, was staring at a point past her shoulder. Slowly, very slowly, Rose turned round. There he stood again, looking so solid it couldn't be real. She rubbed her eyes. He held out a hand. She reached forward and grasped his warm, living fingers.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting."

* * *

**A/N: What d'ya think? Does the ending work? I know the lines weren't all there, but that was intentional. I hope I did Nine justice. Never can be sure, especially considering he was using Ten's lines. Well, some of them at least. Don't get me wrong. I love Ten to death, but Nine and Rose just had something more. Thanks to all my readers and reviewers! Hope you're enjoying! Special thanks to Tessa, this one's for you!**


	8. Growing Up

**A/N: Set immediately after Journey's End. The Doctor takes a leaf out of Jack's book and goes back in time to get the chance to see Rose one last time.**

* * *

**Growing Up**

There. That was the last of them. Donna was home. Not an hour ago, the Tardis had been chock full of his family. A fraction of those he'd had to leave behind before. Now, he'd said goodbye to them all again. Some for the last time. No matter how much he hoped differently. He stood suddenly. But he hadn't said goodbye. Not to them all. Not to the one his hearts said mattered most. He hadn't been able to. Without receiving orders from his large genius brain, his hands moved of their own accord across the console. The engines fluttered to life. The landing (he was flying alone again, after all) was harsh, but he hardly felt it. In a stupor, he stumbled through the door. What year was he? He couldn't remember. All he knew was he was somewhere near the Powell Estate.

Like a man dying of thirst, he stumbled across the square and crouched behind the dumpster. Waiting. Just waiting. Always waiting. Minutes. Maybe hours. Not days. He would have noticed a revolution or two of the sun and moon. At least he hoped so. He checked his watch. Four o'clock. Local time. On a school day. Any second. A laugh. Not hers. But familiar nonetheless. There. Jackie. Holding someone's hand. But-. Confusion invaded his features.

What was Jackie saying? "Honestly, Rose, if I get one more call from your teacher that you and Shareen been hidin' up in the tree house, I'm gonna have to switch you schools."

Rose looked grim. Around seven or eight, he realized. She was so young, so different but exactly the same. This, he realized when Jackie looked away. The corners of Rose's lips had been drooping, but now, as Jackie turned, she gave her signature smile, tongue caught in her teeth mischievously. Oh yes, his Rose. The one and only.

His chest constricted.

Her eyes sparkled.

He backed up to the wall, his hands clenched in fists.

She rolled her eyes jokingly as her mother continued complaining.

But he didn't hear her words. Because all he saw was her. She had so much left to do. For the moment, though, she was gone.

He sprinted back to the Tardis. Flipped the controls. Minutes later, he was out the doors again and sprinting back to his dumpster. This good old dumpster. He must have passed it a hundred times before. Never given it an ounce of thought before. Never realized how important it would become. Not seconds passed and a 14 year old Rose turned the corner with Jackie in tow again. This time, he had the pleasant surprise of hearing her voice, almost identical to her 19 year old one.

"I keep tellin' ya, mum. Somefin' fishy is up with that man. I know you said it wasn' our place, but Shareen and I couldn' help but investigate."

Jackie clucked impatiently at her daughter. "Well, I _did _say it before, and I'll say it again. It ain' your place to go snoopin' around people's offices."

Rose just laughed. The Doctor found himself smiling widely. Rose Tyler. No, he'd never had to pick her. Though he did. The universe had picked her out specially for him. A perfect match. His smile faded. A perfect match still, only in a different universe. No, he refused to think about that.

Three of his own minutes later, he was back four years later. He waited at least an hour and a half this time. Two young giggling girls turned the corner. His breath caught to simply see her almost exactly as he'd left her, her eyes sparkling with laughter, not a line of trouble on her face.

The other girl, about the same age, looked remarkably like Martha but shorter, more graceful. "If your mum finds out we blew school again-." She was saying, but Rose shushed her, laughing.

"Keep it down, Shareen," she spoke between giggles.

"My mobile," the other girl exclaimed suddenly, clutching her pocket. She pulled out a phone and looked at the screen. "It's Mickey." She whispered loudly.

Rose burst into another fit of giggles. "Give it 'ere." She said, and the Doctor couldn't help but roll his eyes. Mickey the idiot, he thought fondly.

"Gonna finally give 'im another chance?" Shareen chuckled.

"We'll see," Rose answered mysteriously.

He painstakingly listened as they arranged to meet in less than an hour. He waited as the girls disappeared to change, then followed them discreetly across the square. It was imperative he not be seen. She wouldn't recognize him now. But reality was she'd never see him until that fateful day of life and death and regeneration.

As the two girls waited at an intersection, something nagged at his mind. Time slowed as the light turned. He saw what would happen, what he had to prevent. There was only one way, reality be damned.

"Rose!" She stopped midstep. As she turned, he crouched in a doorway, not sure if she'd seen him or not.

Moments later, a car sped impossibly fast around the corner. "Blimey!" Shareen's exclamation redirected Rose's attention.

He hurried away from his alcove, away from the scene. But he could have sworn he'd seen her in the reflection of a car window, staring back, searching for him. For a split second, their eyes met in the reflection. Then he was gone.

* * *

In another universe, Rose woke with a start. Her heart pounded from the dream, more a memory. She stared at a familiar face, then silently slipped from the bed and floated to the window. She stared out at the blinking stars. That specific moment in her memory had been blotted out until just then. It all came back in a rush, but she remembered nothing as vividly as the sound of her name. And the face of the stranger. Everyday, out in public, the average person saw at least a thousand different faces. You never remembered the face of a stranger. Unless you got to see that face again, everyday, came to love it, came to hate seeing it sad or frowning.

She looked behind her. Yes, that face. The one she woke to each morning. Except- She turned away. It was an identical face down to the last freckle, but a different one. She shivered and crossed her arms across her chest as she focused on one twinkling star. Inexplicably, a smile invaded her features and tears sprung to her eyes. Somewhere far across reality, universes away, he was watching over her. It had already happened for her and for that she was grateful. But while that was true, she took comfort and joy and pain and sorrow in the knowledge that he'd never forget her. She only hoped he realized she'd never forget him either. And not just because she was married to his clone. No. She didn't mean his image. Or the idea of him. She meant _him_.

* * *

On the roof of the Powell Estate, the Doctor sat back on his hands, his legs dangling as he looked up at one twinkling star that had caught his attention. He'd go investigate later. But for the moment, he felt content. Because even though he could never go back to her as he knew her, she was alive and happy. And he was only too glad to have contributed to that. He thought back to their last farewell, painful as it was, but he was smiling.

"_But he's not you."_

The Doctor's grin widened. No, he's not, he thought. And despite everything that had followed, despite having to leave her, he was so incredibly ecstatic to be able to go on knowing that she could never truly substitute anyone else for him, as he could not her. Irreplaceable, the two of them. And even though they couldn't be together as it should have been meant to be, he would have to be content knowing there was nothing, no two others, in reality quite like Rose Tyler and the Doctor. The Doctor and Rose.

* * *

**A/N: Don't give me that about "impossible" to go back on personal lines. AU, remember? I can do what I want. Now review unless you wish to hear the beating of the drums for all eternity.**


	9. What Would 9 point five do?

**Disclaimer : Haven't done one of these in awhile. Thought it'd be good for the soul. Or something. Not owning Doctor Who is bad for the soul. I do not own Doctor Who. Ergo…bad soul.**

**A/N: AU Journey's End. What might have happened had Nine returned instead of a Ten clone. Not perfect but not terrible either. I'm off to go looking for banana flavored cereal. Heard a rumour 'bout one. **

**What Would Nine.5 Do: JE edition**

Donna's eyes widened as a form materialized right in front of her. A…naked form? A man. Definitely a man. But who? He sat up, and she staggered backwards.

"Who are you?" She exclaimed.

He looked up at her in confusion. "Donna, what are you on about? It's me." He paused, hands at his throat. "Hold on. That's not right." His hands travelled up to his ears. He smiled widely suddenly. "Oh yes! I'm back!"

He looked back up at Donna seriously then. "Donna, this is going to be hard to believe even after everything you've seen…but it's me. I'm the Doctor. I can prove it. On the Planet of the Ood, I let you hear their song, and it was so sad and heartbreaking that it reminded you of your old dad, and you just wanted to go home. But you stayed because…" He paused and gave her a ten wattage smile. "Well, because you're amazing."

Her eyes sparkled with tears. "How'd you know I was thinking of Dad?"

He titled his head. "Time Lord."

"Doctor," she played with the word.

"Yup, that's me," he poked himself in his chest with his thumb.

"No," she hesitated. "Doctor, you're naked!"

He looked down and frowned. "Well, that's embarrassing."

* * *

Rose almost laughed with mirth. If the TARDIS was safe, that meant Donna was safe, which meant there was hope. When the doors of the TARDIS crashed open, her smile faded. _I must be losing my mind_, she thought. She shut her eyes tightly and opened them again, but the leather jacket clad figure still stood there.

"What-." She managed.

But he was out the door, flying across the floor before she could even begin to try to understand. Suddenly, he was hit by a blast of light.

"No!" Rose heard herself shout as if from very far away. Unable to move more than a few inches, she craned her neck to see him sprawled across the floor, but moving, alive.

Moments later, he was trapped like the rest of them. He looked directly at her. His eyes were dark and unreadable. "Hello, Rose. Long time no see."

"How-." She tripped over the simple word.

"Oh, just a simple instantaneous biological metacrisis. Bit complicated."

"Well, that explains it." Like the rest of them who were familiar with the face, the Doctor had been just as flummoxed.

"Oh, there you are pretty boy," her first Doctor replied cheekily.

"Oi," her second said. "Least I've got nice sized ears."

"Yeah, I can see. Nice enough for Madame de Pompadour to notice leastways."

"Hey," Ten exclaimed, hurt.

"Both of you, just stop," Rose cut in.

"Well I'm not the one that goes around kissing anything that moves," Nine quipped.

"No," Jack grinned in the background. "That would be me."

"Well I wouldn't have left her trapped in a nuclear fallout shelter with the last Dalek in existence." Ten snapped.

Nine's eyes flashed. "And I wouldn't have left her stranded on some beach."

"There was nothing I could do," Ten said darkly.

"Plenty I would've-."

"Stop it, the bof' of ya!" Rose shouted.

"Seriously," Martha grimaced. "End of reality and the two of you're fighting over the nearest blonde."

"Oi," Rose frowned.

"Sorry," Martha apologized, "but you're a force to reckon with when it comes to him."

Rose didn't get a chance to answer because that's when Donna was hit by a flash of light. The next several minutes passed in a blur. When her first Doctor was at the controls, she knew what he was going to do. Because he was doing it for her, at least partly. Like she had done before for him, her Doctor. When she'd absorbed the Time Vortex. Became Bad Wolf.

On the TARDIS, there was too much chaos as they towed the Earth home for her to arrange her thoughts. But she stood between them both and at one point, she lost her balance, and they'd both reached out to steady her. Their glares were comparable. Once on Earth, hugs abounded.

She turned just as Ten tripped over Nine's outstretched leg. "Oops. Sorry about that." Then Nine smiled. "No. No, wait. No, I'm not." He crossed his arms at his next regeneration. "That's for leaving her in the year 5000 with only Mickey the Idiot as company."

As he stood, her second Doctor glared.

Rose sidled between them. "Now's not the time, the both of ya."

"Rose!" Jack exclaimed, laughing, tugging her hand. She hadn't gotten a proper chance to hug him yet. As they embraced, he whispered in her ear. "If I were you…well, three words, ménage a trois." He smiled wickedly.

Rose burst out laughing. "Shut up!" She shoved him, and he just laughed.

Jack turned to Nine now, grinning. "Well, old man. Guess it's goodbye for good this time."

"Looks like it," Nine grinned back. "What?" He teased as he returned Jack's hug. "No kiss this time?"

Jack grinned and slapped his cheek. "Don't tempt me." He turned to Rose, his smile faltering. "If I never see you again," he started.

"Jack-."

"Just listen. If I don't…the greatest pleasure in my entire life has been to know you." A tear glistened on her face. He wiped it away and kissed her forehead. He looked back at Nine. "The both of you." He grinned. "Even if you left _me_ stranded in some godforsaken future year without a problem."

Nine chuckled, patting Jack's back as he took his leave.

Mickey appeared in his place, and Rose grew fresh tears. "I'm off then," he said.

"Mickey the Idiot," Nine put in suddenly. "A hero. Who would've thought?"

Mickey burst out laughing and threw his arms around Nine. "Won't ever get me to admit it again, but I missed ya."

Nine smiled gently as Mickey turned to Rose.

"Don't know what to say," he said.

She cupped his face. "Think about it and let me know next time, yeah?" She said on the verge of crying. It was easier for them both to simply pretend, so he agreed and planted one last kiss on her cheek.

"You take care of her," Mickey said to Nine before he left.

Rose had turned away and was crying into her sleeves. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned into Ten's arms. She was too bleary eyes to notice the way Nine tensed.

"Come on," Ten said. "Time for one last trip."

Minutes later, Rose tumbled with confusion onto a too familiar beach. She needed some fresh air, or she'd never have left the TARDIS. Her mum and Donna stood off to one side. She turned to see her Doctors standing shoulder to shoulder. Her throat felt swollen shut. "What now?" She asked.

The two looked at each other, an understanding having been reached. "Well," Ten dragged out the word. "I've got to close these last gaps between universes. Again."

Rose took a shaky breath and turned to Nine. "What 'bout you?"

He looked back inside the TARDIS. "Well, there's a universe out there that needs saving, I've missed the TARDIS. But-." He hesitated and turned back to her. "I've missed you more."

Her breath caught at the intensity in his gaze. She noticed Ten look away. Even Donna and her mum. Only she seemed to be able to take it because only she knew the exact feeling.

"And I'll follow you wherever you go, Rose Tyler." Nine murmured.

Rose looked swiftly at Ten, searching his face. When he looked back, the sorrow there broke her heart. The moment passed. He cupped the back on his neck with one hand in thought. "And I reckon this TARDIS is too small for two Time Lords, so," he dragged out the syllable as usual, then pulled out something that looked remarkably like a tree root. "TARDIS of your own." He handed it to Nine. "This universe needs its own pair of defenders. What do you think?" This was directed at Rose.

She paused. "But you-." She couldn't go on.

"Oh, I'm always alright. And I've got Donna!"

Donna had tears in her eyes for him.

"But-." Rose. Oh, his Rose. Always fighting back.

"What?" He asked softly. He knew he shouldn't. He knew he should let go, that the pain from this would later kill him quite possibly.

"You've been everything," she whispered, breaking down.

He looked down, his composure threatening to run away. "No." He denied. "You have, Rose." He looked up with a wide, curious smile. "Crossed the universe just to get back to me. But," his voice broke. "But I can't give you everything."

He looked over at Nine. From the side, Donna spoke. "Tell her."

Rose followed her line of vision to Nine who stepped towards her. He picked up her hand gently and held it to the left side of his chest. She could feel one heart beating against her palm there. He shifted her hand to his right side. Nothing.

"What-." Rose started.

"Part human, part Time Lord." Donna stated triumphantly, but Rose hardly heard her, as she stared up into his eyes.

"I've only got one life, Rose Tyler. And I could spend it with you if you'd like."

She was at a loss for words, but she couldn't let it go that easily. She looked over his shoulder at Ten who was ushering Donna inside the TARDIS. "Wait!" Rose called.

Hands in his pockets, Ten obeyed. "Last time we were here, you were going to tell me something. What was it?" Her voice broke.

He stared at her sadly, then glanced at Nine who looked back. Ten looked back at Rose. "Does it need saying?"

She looked away, clenching Nine's hand. She knew he was giving her a gift by staying silent, but she simply didn't want to accept it.

"Tell her," Donna's muffled voice spoke

Nine took Rose's chin in one hand and tilted her head up. He lowered his head, his lips brushing her skin, her hair, her ear. Ten could hardly bare to watch as Rose grasped Nine by his jacket and kissed him hard. Nine responded in kind, pulling Rose to him by her hips.

Ten turned on the scene and closed the TARDIS door behind him. He walked slowly up the ramp without a word. Donna, understanding as ever, flipped the controls, powering the TARDIS engines to life. She opened her mouth to speak when the door swished open behind him.

Her turned just as Rose threw her arms around him. Her lips smothered his in a quick, desperate kiss. "Thank you," she whispered breathlessly in his ear. She pressed her lips to his one last time, then was gone swiftly as she'd appeared. For a moment, he wondered if he hadn't been just dreaming the occurrence. Then Donna spoke, and he knew it was as painfully real as it felt.

"I'm sorry," she said.

* * *

**A/N: Maybe it would have been exactly like that. Maybe it would have been completely different. And the world will never know…UNTIL Doctor Who: The Movie. Hahaha…but ImaginE!**


	10. The Long Way

**Disclaimer: To this day, I have to my name a pillow, a chipped coffee mug, a one-eyed stuffed monkey, and a cat named Hamburger Phone, but no Doctor Who. Then again, they say dogs have owners and cats have staff, so…**

**A/N: Set during GitF. Alternate ending. What if the fireplace had been connected to the network? How will the Doctor get home now?**

* * *

**The Long Way**

The Doctor gazed up at the stars in the night sky. A familiar view but so far away from home. He hadn't stopped to think. He hardly ever did. That was how he worked. He dealt with the consequences when everything had been said and done. Now, as he searched the black blanket above, he wondered if the consequences this time were too high a price to pay for what he'd had to do. When her face floated through his mind, he closed his eyes, wishing it away. He did a quick calculation in his head. 3243 years.

He opened his eyes again, sadness enveloping him. When he'd broken through the glass, he hadn't thought of it as leaving her. Because he always found his way back to her. Nothing, not time, nor Daleks, not space itself could get between them. Nothing had changed. It might take him over three thousand years to get back to her, but he would make it one way or another. The long way. He never thought it'd come to that, but here he was. As he focused on one bright star, he thought of her once more, and he envied her. For her, it would be but mere minutes.

Still, he knew what he had to do, and he didn't hesitate a second to do it. Give him time, he would find her again. Always would. And _that's _why he hadn't hesitated.

* * *

Rose was fresh out of tears. She felt empty, completely and utterly alone. Mickey was there. Always was, but all she could feel within and outside of her was the void left by _his_ absence. She stared straight ahead into nothingness, hearing nothing, feeling nothing. Five hours and twenty-five minutes. She was keeping an exact count. She wondered what she would do when she ran out of numbers.

Tired, Mickey had slipped silently into the TARDIS. He'd given up trying to speak to her exactly three hours, seven minutes and thirty seconds ago. Unconsciously, she played with the key to the spaceship. She tortured herself thinking about what would happen next. Or even worse…what wouldn't. Her eyes prickled and burned, but remained dry. She had nothing left to cry.

A thousand scenarios had gone through her head at this point. In her mind, she saw him turning the corner, a mischievous smile crossing his face. She saw him slipping out through the TARDIS doors. Miraculously appearing back through the brick wall. Sliding through the fireplace. Doing the impossible. Always achieving what couldn't be done. At the resulting silence, she wondered if his number was up. Because he'd never made her wait more than an hour before he came back to her before.

When something clattered in the hallway beyond, she ignored it, convinced it was but another figment of her imagination. Just one more hopeless scenario among thousands. Footsteps. No doubt she was having delusions now. Voices. That was it. She'd gone round the bend. At least that's what she thought until a very familiar man appeared in her line of sight. And he was smiling.

She stared in disbelief, her mouth open in awe. "J-." She hesitated, unsure still if she was just seeing things. "Jack?" She managed.

His smile grew wider when she spoke his name. "One and only." He held his arms open. "Come here."

Stiffly, she placed her feet to the floor and approached him slowly. "How-."

He gathered her in his arms and held him to her tightly. "Doesn't matter. We're here now," was all he murmured.

She heard a second set of footsteps and gently disentangled herself from Jack to peek around him to see what he meant by "we". She had to admit that she'd expected it, but shock still froze her in place. He stopped in his tracks when their eyes met.

Tears she hadn't known she still possessed sprung newly to her eyes. He took a step forward, his eyes blazing.

"Doctor." Her voice shook with pain. And that was all it took. He rushed forward and gathered her in his arms, pressing himself tightly to her. She burrowed her face into his shoulder. He held her there, resting his head on hers and closing his eyes. The smell. The feel. All so right and familiar. It could have been just yesterday that they'd stood like this. But it wasn't. 3000 years did a lot to a man. He pulled her away from him but kept her close. He put a finger under her chin and tilted her head up. In a swift move he'd been waiting over a thousand years to make, he crushed his lips to hers. And everything they'd both been feeling in the eternity since they'd seen each other went into that kiss.

Only when he realized she needed to breathe did he pull back. They were both short of breath, and the tears in her eyes had dried to be replaced by something else. As he gasped, he caressed her skin. "How long did you wait?"

"Five and a half hours," she managed, all the pain of the past forgotten, healed in the one short blissful moment they'd just shared. Healed for them both. He could almost forget the span of years he'd waited to get back to her. Her eyes searched his, looking for answers he couldn't give. "What 'bout you?"

His breathing back to normal, he brought his face near hers again. In all the time, they hadn't let each other go. "Three thousand," he paused and kissed her forehead. "Two hundred." He kissed her fluttering eye. "Forty." Tip of her nose. "Three." Corner of her lips. "Years." Her cheek. "Two months." Her jaw. "One week." Her chin. "Three days." Her bottom lip. "Seven hours." The other corner of her lips. "Two minutes." Her top lip. "And forty-three. Hold it. Forty-five seconds." Then he captured her lips in another desperate kiss.

This time, it was she pulled back to give him time to breathe. Resting her forehead against his chest, she caught her breath, then asked, "You've been counting?"

"Every excruciating second. And do you know what I've decided?"

His tone made her look straight up into his eyes.

He tightened his hold around her waist. "I am never letting you out of my sight again."

"No complaint from me," she answered in a daze before letting him embrace her tightly again.

* * *

**A/N: The fluff is getting out of control here, people. Taking on a life of its own. Can't control it. Then again it's better than angst on steroids, though we all like a little bit of emo these days… Do you know what really thuper duper upsets me? That Sunday, July 26th at approximately 10 am Pacific time, David Tenant will be less than 25 miles from me, yet we are separated by the harbor, convention center walls and lack of Comic Con badges. Same goes for John Barrowman. This makes me sad. And emo. Review, and maybe I'll feel inspired to forge a badge and get kicked out just as I steal their hankies…do they even own hankies…?**


	11. Those Three Words

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Doctor Who. No, I don't own Comic-Con 2009 badges. Yes, life sucks.**

**A/N: Journey's End. (NO you moron! It's Doomsday!) Ohhhhh, right. That must be the candy speaking...Thanks for pointing that out Mayet! (I'd have replied, but anonymous and allish...) Rose's thoughts on the beach. Bit angsty. Thought I'd take a break from all the fluff…Oh and thanks to Tessa and The Chibi's are Stalking Me for their consistent (awesome, stupendous, bloody brilliant) reviews!**

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**Those Three Words**

Rose didn't think she'd make it off the beach alive. She had died in one universe and knew that unless she could stop feeling, she'd died in this one too. The pain in her heart was so severe, she wished she could make it stop beating altogether. It didn't matter that she would stop living at the same time. Because the moment his image had disappeared, none of it seemed to matter. Air itself lost relevance. It wasn't just about losing him. She'd never been the kind of sop who literally couldn't live without a man. It was in the man himself that she'd lost. When he'd gone, she'd lost a part of herself. And now she was unraveling. Maybe that was the pain in her heart. Half of it was gone. And now, she'd never see him again, and the pain would never stop. She barely felt her mother's arms around her. Her skin had lost all feeling, her brain all rational thought. She could almost see the inside of the TARDIS. Feel the cool recycled air hitting her skin from above. None of it made sense. If she closed her eyes, she could almost see him. But none of it was real. He was gone.

She recalled his last words and felt her heart clench as tears continued to pour from her eyes. "I suppose, if it's my last chance to say it… Rose Tyler," he'd began. She could see the words on his lips. They'd been ready to tumble off his tongue and into the air. She'd heard them in his two heartbeats. Smelt it in the salty ocean air. Three words. Just three. And now she'd never hear them. Not from him. Not ever. And she suddenly realized how damaged she was. Because from then on, anytime she heard those words…in passing, directed at her, it didn't matter…anytime, the only meaning they would hold would be the memory of never hearing them from his lips.

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**A/N: I am so pumped up and ready to just sneak my way in to Comic-Con with a forged badge. I know a secret, so if I make it, I'll tell you all…all about it. Review please! I'm not feelin' the love!**


	12. 12 Ways the Doctor Says I Love You

**Disclaimer: No, to answer your question, that would be somewhere along the lines of Russell T. Davies and them other geniuses.**

**A/N: Just a little drabble with quotes from the show I couldn't resist using. And just to rectify what I'd forgotten to mention before: though the idea here is original in essence...I did only come up with it thanks to a wonderful chapter of "What If" by the wonderful The Chibi's Are Stalking Me, so thanks for that!**

* * *

**12 Ways the Doctor Says "I Love You"**

At first, he had to tell her, just in case, so she could hear it just once.

_I'm so glad I met you._

But it wasn't enough. So he tried to make her understand what his life would be like without her.

_I could save the world but lose you._

She didn't blink. She trusted him. He had to let her know that she was special, more.

_I only take the best. I've got Rose._

He could never stay mad at her, couldn't she see that?

_Just tell me you're sorry._

Dancing. There was no one but her he'd rather dance with more.

_I'm sure he would, Rose, I'm absolutely certain. But who with?_

He had to save her, even if it meant losing himself because she was worth it.

_I think you need a doctor._

The strangest goodbye, but she had to know, in case she didn't trust him after.

_Before I go, I just wanna tell you: you were fantastic, absolutely fantastic!_

He needed to tell her without saying it, so she would understand that what they had could never last.

_Imagine watching that happen to someone you-_

She did know, didn't she? He'd told her so many times before. In so many words, true, but…she knew.

_If you get back in touch, if you talk to Rose... just tell her... tell her I... Oh, she knows._

Out of all he'd ever seen, nothing surprised him more than her. He wished she could hear his faith in her.

_If I believe in one thing, just one thing... I believe in her._

She deserved to hear at least once what he'd been trying to tell her all these years, but he needed time.

_And I suppose... if it's my last chance to say it...Rose Tyler-._

If he said the words, she'd never get a chance to be truly happy, so he stayed silent for her.

_Does it need saying?_

He never got the chance to say it properly, but he knew she knew. For him, that would have to be enough. As long as she was happy, he could go on. And even though he never said it out loud, he could feel each word beating constantly against his chest, both hurting and healing.

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**A/N: I was also leaning towards using "You look beautiful" from The Unquiet Dead, but it got cut, so I just thought everyone should know it was a runner-up. Likey? No likey? Tell me in review-ey! **


	13. 12 Ways Rose Says I Love You

**Disclaimer: If it were a square on a monopoly board that I happened to land on thanks to luck with the dice, I might own it.**

**A/N: A sort of follow up to "12 Ways the Doctor says 'I Love You'". Lovely isn't it? **

* * *

**12 Ways Rose says "I Love You"**

_Better with two._

She meant that in more ways than one. Before the Doctor had exploded into her life, she'd always felt just a little bit alone, even when surrounded. She forgot the feeling with him.

_He's not my boyfriend, Mickey, he's better than that. He's much more important._

She knew that now. What they had was so much more than she could ever hope to have again.

_I wouldn't have missed it for the world._

And she really wouldn't have. Dying, after all he'd shown her, after all he'd given, didn't seem so bad. It was the thought of dying without ever having known him that she dreaded.

_It didn't feel like dancing._

And a smile didn't feel like smiling. Hand holding didn't feel like hand holding. A hug didn't just feel like a hug. It was all so much more with him.

_Two hundred thousand years in the future, he's dying, and there's nothing I can do._

It was one thing dying beside him. Thinking of him dying alone was more than she could bear.

_I want you safe, my Doctor._

It wasn't too much to ask. But there wasn't anything she wouldn't do to make it happen.

_I thought you and me were..._

How could she have been so wrong? She wasn't. They were. He said so without saying so.

_Even if he was, how could I leave him... all on his own, all the way down there?_

She couldn't. Because he would never leave her. Because he was coming back. Like always.

_Who's gonna hold his hand now?_

She'd held so many hands before she'd met him, but none fit quite as perfectly in hers as his. And the one thing she feared more than losing that hand was thinking of him being all alone.

_Forever._

Forever didn't have to mean infinity. It could mean a really, really long time. But did it hurt that she _wished _it meant infinity?

_I made my choice a long time ago and I'm never gonna leave you._

He needed to understand that the only way to save her was by never leaving her side.

_I-…I love you._

It was a relief to tell him the words that had floated between them, unspoken, for so long. And it felt like the end of the world when he couldn't say them back.

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**A/N: If there are other/better quotes you know of for either chapter that I didn't mention, hit me up, let me know, let's work together. Had a pretty good runner up for this chappie too, actually a really good one I can't believe I cut (From New Earth: "Can I just say, traveling with you... I love it.") Someone suggested I turn 12 to 13 for both. Just might… And review! And if you've still got time after that, hop on over to "30 Thoughts: The Doctor" by Francesca Montag. Because, trust me, if you like this, you will not only not be disappointed…you will be blown away. Ta!**


	14. Pockets

**Disclaimer: Actually, I own a Doctor Who pin. Does that count?**

**A/N: Set anytime during the third season before the Master episodes. Just a little drabble that came to me recently when I was reading "Strange Magicks" by Lillibetm3 (*hint* *hint*). **

* * *

**Pockets**

The Doctor stood and watched with a smile as Martha gazed in awe at the domed ceiling above them. Looking up, she turned round and round.

"This is amazing," she whispered and started forward towards two huge glass doubles doors through which could be seen a garden bursting with exotic plants and flowers that didn't exist on Earth. She tried the handle, but it wouldn't budge. "It's locked," she murmured in disappointment, turning back towards him.

He smiled and slipped a hand into his coat pocket. "They don't call it a sonic screwdriver for nothing."

She smiled brightly back, clapping her hands, then lowered them when he began to frown.

"I can't seem to find…" He trailed off, digging his hand into his pocket until it was up to his elbow. He thrashed his arm around, searching.

Her eyebrows rose in unison. "Just exactly how big are those pockets?"

His brow furrowed. "Not sure exactly. Better that way," he muttered, as he tried reaching deeper, then had to steady himself against a column with his foot. He raised one eyebrow. "What's this?" With quite a struggle that required Martha's help for him to keep his balance, he pulled his hand back out and opened his palm. His eyes widened at the item that rest there.

Martha let out a soft breath of air and placed her finger on his palm near the item without touching it. "It's beautiful." She whispered. "What is it?" She looked curiously up at his face, but he was unresponsive, his eyes still frozen on the item. He didn't like to be rude usually and would have answered if he'd heard, but his mind was stuck in the past.

* * *

He sat back on his elbows atop the emerald green hill, his eyes bouncing with mirth as he watched Rose roll down the hill again, giggling like a child on Christmas. She was so happy. And when she was happy, oh, was he ever. He took in a deep breath of air as she came to rest on her back at the bottom, still laughing.

She put her hand to her forehead, to protect her eyes from the three suns of Jardinia. "Your turn, Doctor!" She laughed again. He could never say no to her when she was this happy. So, silly as a child, he tumbled down the hill and came to rest on the grass just at her side. They laughed until they couldn't breathe and then lay still, hands clasped.

Rose brushed her hands through the cool grass and came up suddenly clutching something in her palm. "What's this?" She sat up and gazed at the item with a bit of awe.

He sat up and smiled, then scoffed. "Just like you to pick one of the rarest stones in all the universe from the grass like it's just another...yellow daisy."

She turned back to him and stuck out her tongue. "Can I keep it?"

"Do you want to?"

She paused. "Yeah."

A slow smile appeared on his face. "Why?"

"It's beautiful."

He shrugged. "I've seen prettier."

She eyed him. "Oh yeah, like what?"

Caught, he rubbed the back of his neck and muttered something about ball bearings and cupcakes to avoid answering.

She just laughed and placed it in his hand. "Hold it for me, yeah? 'Til we get back to the TARDIS."

* * *

The Doctor fell out of his reverie to see Martha snapping her fingers in front of his face. "Woohoo." She was saying. "Doctor, you there?"

He blinked. "Yeah," he muttered, his voice hoarse.

"There you are." She lowered her hand. "You alright?" Concern flooded her features.

"Always," he answered absently.

"You never did say," she gestured towards the stone.

He blinked down at it. "It belongs to a friend." He said quietly.

She recognized the sad tone in his voice, almost positive she knew which friend. Just as her shoulders began to droop, his hand flew back into his pocket and came back out, clutching only the sonic screwdriver.

"Right then!" He said brightly. "Where were we?!"

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**A/N: I was watching this movie the other night, Hot Fuzz…completely stupid and idiotic, and, therefore, completely hilarious! You should watch it. I love British humor!**


	15. Will the Real Doctor Please Stand Up?

**Disclaimer: No, because if I owned Doctor Who, my success at procrastination would probably still have us stuck in the second series.**

**A/N: Yet another alternative ending to "Journey's End" because I've learned you can never have enough. **

* * *

**Will the Real Doctor Please Stand Up?**

"Does it need saying?"

_Yes_, Rose thought. It did, and he knew it. The sorrow in his eyes spoke volumes of that knowledge. She stared at him for a moment that seemed longer than eternity…as if she knew what eternity felt like. She turned away. It was hard, but she knew she had to.

"What about you?" She forced the words through her lips.

The other him gazed at her, his expression unreadable. He stepped forward, gently taking her elbow in his hand. He leaned down, and she felt his lips part inches from her ear, brushing her hair.

"Rose," All it took was the sound of her name for her to realize the truth. "It's me. Do you really believe that after everything we've been through that I'd let you go one last time? No, it's the domestic for me all the way here on out."

He would have continued, but she turned swiftly and grasped the lapels of his blazer. Their lips met, and logical thought faded from his brain. He grasped her waist and pulled her to him. Never letting her go again. Leaving reality in the hands of another him was worth it if it meant he got Rose Tyler in exchange.

* * *

**A/N: Is it redundant or ridiculous that I sandwich my chappies in between two completely different author's notes? This is probably one of the first crazy (meaning awesome) theories I had after my first traumatized viewing of the 4****th**** series finale. Review if you please!**


	16. Pet

**Disclaimer: If I told you I owned DW, would you believe me?**

**A/N: And this children is what happens when you don't listen to your parents like good little girls and boys and keep away from the 5 pound bag of sugar… I realize I am at great risk of losing credibility here as a serious Doctor/Rose shipper/writer/whatever, but I am a silly person, and this is just staying true to my inner crazy. Also...jello. So there.**

* * *

**Pet**

Standing in the doorway of the TARDIS, the Doctor gazed at Rose with what could almost be called longing. Then he turned and faced the console of his ever trusty spaceship.

"Well, T, can I keep her? Can I? Can I?" At the third "can", his voice took on a whiny tinge, and the TARDIS couldn't resist playing with him.

She probed his mind, providing him with that an answer that might have been "Well, I don't know…" in words.

His eyes widened. "She'll be really good, I promise. She's neat and all." His eyebrows rose. "Pretty too, don't you think?"

The TARDIS found herself giving in. "Well, if you really want to…" It seemed to say.

He bounced in place a bit with glee. "I do. I do!" He grinned manically.

The TARDIS gave him what could have been classified as a telepathic nod.

He clapped his hands and turned back around. "Rose!" He called. "Come here, Rose. Come here."

The little black dog came rushing forwards, tail wagging like a helicopter rotor. He scooped her up in his arms and scratched her behind the ears. "Oh, yes. Who's a good girl? Who's a good girl?" She licked his hand. "That's right. Going to stay with me forever, aren't you, Rose? Aren't you?"

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**A/N: Don't ask. I hardly remember writing it.**


	17. Huge Sigh of Relief: Jack Edition

**Disclaimer: Are these really necessary ever single chapter? I mean officially according to the rules...because I'd be happy to say it once. I mean, I know people tend to make an art form out of these. TCASM does particularly well in that realm.**

**A/N: First of a series called "Huge Sigh of Relief." You'll get it by the end. Let's start with Jack. This takes place at the end of "The Parting of the Ways," but before the regeneration.**

* * *

**Huge Sigh of Relief: Jack Edition**

"What about Jack?" Rose asked.

"What about him?" The Doctor replied casually as he flipped a red switch on the console. When Rose didn't answer, he turned to see the reprimanding scowl on her face. "What?" He feigned cluelessness.

"We can't just leave 'im, Doctor." She scolded.

"Yes we can," the Doctor said in a relaxed tone.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Look, if it'll make a difference, I won' dance with 'im."

Hand on a lever, the Doctor paused, waiting.

Crossing her arms and holding back a smile, Rose added, "Won't flirt with him neither."

He began to turn, then seemed to remember something and stopped.

Rose scoffed and stomped her right foot. "Alright, alrigh'. I'll stop fixing my makeup on account of 'im."

The Doctor turned round and smiled brightly. "Do I have your word on that?"

Rose lifted her fingers and crossed them in promise.

He chuckled and programmed the TARDIS to turn around. "I wasn't going to leave him in the first place, but now that you've promised…" He trailed off.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You stupid-."

"Here we are!" The Doctor interrupted her brightly, pulling the hand brake.

The door swung open of its own accord, and Captain Jack Harkness strode inside, hallmark smile, confidence and all. Hugging Rose tightly, he spoke over her shoulder. "Knew you'd come back."

"Promises, promises," the Doctor muttered, eyeing them and then flew the TARDIS away towards the unknown.

* * *

**A/N: That huge sigh of relief would be yours, mine, Doctor Who fandom's, etc., etc. Review, and I might write a Donna edition next.**


	18. Bad Wolf

**Disclaimer: Mine, mine, mine, mine. DW…not mine.**

**A/N: A little obvious this is set during Parting of the Ways, but you never know. I have this great ability at being completely daft sometimes…**

* * *

**Bad Wolf**

Rose was blinded by the bright golden light that engulfed her. From a long distance, it seemed, she heard herself speak. But she lived within and outside of herself. The light began to fade, and she began to see. Everything. Everywhen. Everywhere. Infinite knowledge. Images flashed through her mind faster than light, but she absorbed them all.

A spaceship in London. Harriet Jones. Her Doctor. New face, new hands, same man. A hospital with cats. Cassandra. The invasion of her mind. The kiss. The Face of Boe again. The werewolf. Sarah Jane Smith. The annoying girl in the fireplace. Pete Tyler. Mickey. The impossible planet. The Ood. Losing the Doctor. The rocket. Getting him back. The television. Losing herself. The girl with the drawings. Losing him again. Always losing him. She felt them…all the losses all at once and thought she'd die from the pain, but the memory of clutching his hand brought her back.

The ghosts. The Daleks. The Cybermen. Mickey. Her dad. The void. The wall. The beach. The goodbye.

"No." She wanted to scream and did but couldn't all at once. Her head was going to burst. She went through the next images in a succession of flashes but took it all in.

Parallel to each other, she saw both her life and the Doctor's. An empty room. A redhead in a wedding gown. Days working a Torchwood, endless days. Days with a new companion that wasn't her. Missing him. Missing her. Fear of losing her mum. Losing his last. Pain, loss, anger, fear, hope. Both their emotions rolled into one.

Finding her way back. The ginger again, but now she was back as well. Travelling the right universe. Helping save reality. Running towards him. Tears streamed down her face both in reality and in her dream state as she lost him again. He was engulfed by gold now. But when it faded, he was still him, and she was in his arms.

Davros. Trapped but still happy to be near him. A second him. A human doctor. A doctor human. Saying goodbye. The kiss. Her choice. Time. Time And Time.

And when she saw him again, the real him, she was gold. The light had never left her. He looked different, but she knew it was him. His soul could be stuck in a toilet roll, and she'd know. But he didn't believe it was her. He'd lost hope. So she told him everything. How her choice on the beach had been false because all along she'd known she would see him again but only if she stayed, lost him one last time. She was losing him. He didn't believe. So she brought his face near hers. Because he had to remember that there had been a time when he'd only ever believed in her.

The images had been rushing past, faster than she'd ever imagined they could, but now suddenly and dizzily stopped. All she could see now was him, then and now and forever. And she realized that since the beginning of time, the entire universe, all of them, had been in on it, leading her to this moment, to him.

He smiled. "Rose," she heard him utter her name, and the effect was greater than the birth of a new star. She saw him then, and she saw him now. Her first Doctor and her last. Two times separated by infinity but both real. Their lips met, and he took the light from her. But he couldn't take it all because she knew she had to keep a part of him, hide it, stow it away so she could find her way back to him one day. And everything went black.

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**A/N: Do I really have to ask? I will, anyway...Review, please!**


	19. Of All Things

**Disclaimer: I'm too tired to make something up, so I'll just lie and say I own it. And if you've taken logic, you'll deduce that since I lied, and I told you I lied, I cancelled everything out. Ergo…I cannot be sued. Ha.**

**A/N: Set during "Rose." Just a bit I wrote…because I love when the small things are the most important.**

* * *

**Of All Things**

Rose hurried down the sidewalk, still clutching the plastic arm. Her heart was still pounding wildly, an after effect of the unexpected explosion and the encounter with the strange man. As she neared home, she slowed. What in God's name was she doing with a plastic arm? For the life of her, she couldn't say. She'd passed at least three dozen trash bins on her way, and all the while, the thought of tossing the arm had lingered right at the back of her mind. But she couldn't seem to bring herself to let it go. Even though it was nothing but trouble, obviously.

Like him. She stopped in her tracks and glanced down at the offending plastic limb. Rolling her eyes, she stepped towards the nearest garbage can and lifted her arm to drop it. A pair of blue eyes invaded her mind, and her resolve faded. What was she playing at? She didn't know. That was the point. She didn't know him. All she knew was what he called himself: the Doctor. No. That wasn't quite true. She knew one other thing, just one.

When he took her hand in his, she didn't feel safe or scared or loved or even particularly happy. What she felt was like nothing she'd ever felt like before. She felt as if she could run with him forever. She felt like she could run hand in hand with him for all eternity, never stopping. It wasn't something she could have explained out loud with words. It was just something she knew intuitively. The feeling was right. So right.

What all that had to do with a plastic arm, she'd probably never be able to explain. Instead of trying, then, she turned and hurried home. Sitting on the couch, listening to her mum's never ending chatter, she realized how silly she'd been back on that dark street, her heart skittering like a colt. So she told Mickey to toss it on his way out. For one second after the door shut behind him, she felt the tiniest twinge of regret.

By the time her head hit her pillows, she had forgotten the feeling. But as she slept, she dreamt. The strange man starred in her dreams, but she'd forgotten when she woke in the morning. Twelve hours later, Rose had encountered the feeling again. Time machine, he told her. She didn't think twice again. As she joined him for the adventure of her life, she thought back briefly to 24 hours before when she'd made either the best or worst decision of her life. As she went through the blue doorway into another world, she wondered at how random life could be when the most important things in it could come down to a plastic arm of all things.

* * *

**A/N: I've been confusing people lately, and I wanted to cover all my bases here at least and explain what might need explaining. This is all based on the premise that the only way the Doctor ever met Rose again was because of the plastic arm. I'm also going on the premise that the only way the arm found it's way back to the flat was because it'd been there before. Basically, Rose's entire life following that day came down to a plastic arm. Does that make sense now? Know what else does? A review.**


	20. Forever Companions

**Disclaimer: In Tahiti, there is no such concept as money. In the 1700s. In the movie "Mutiny on the Bounty." In Tahiti 1775, I co-own Doctor Who with Fletcher Christian.**

**A/N: A heartbreaking little tidbit for Donna and Rose, but mostly for our lonely Doctor.**

* * *

**Forever Companions**

_How many times can I break 'til I shatter? –OAR (Shattered)_

It was the ones who promised him forever that broke his heart the worst. Because when they said forever, they meant it, and he believed them, even if reason said it could not be.

Losing them hurt most because they didn't leave because they wanted to but because nothing could bring them back.

They were the ones who made him smile the brightest, who made him laugh the loudest and who made him sad the deepest.

They were the ones who fought back, even with him if they had to. They were the ones who never gave up, even on him if that's what it came to. They weren't scared to stand up for what was right. They didn't take no for an answer. They were his equals.

They had pledged to never leave him, and none had been lying, for he felt their presences still, no matter how long had passed.

The ones who promised him forever were the ones who never stopped haunting him.

They promised him forever, and it was for forever that he lost them. They were his forever companions.

From then on, he resolved never to take on another. And if he ever did, he'd make sure they knew there was a limit because if one more promised him forever, his hearts might just shatter.

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**A/N: Review, and all your wishes will come true. Or I'll be a little happy at least.**


	21. Red Bicycle

**Disclaimer: I think even if I had a million dollars, I wouldn't own Doctor Who. 'Tis sad.**

**A/N: Based off that little comment to Rose the Doctor made in "The Doctor Dances," that went something along the lines of "red bicycle when you were 12" when she implies he isn't Santa Clause. Enjoy =)**

* * *

**Red Bicycle**

Christmas Eve1997. Central London. Parked in the middle of…well, a park. He'd dimmed the lights in the TARDIS ages ago when Rose had gone to bed, tired from defeating what they had come to call the Tickle Me Aliens, who had been trying to take over the world by brainwashing children using toys. Not the most brilliant bunch, but tiring nevertheless.

Now he had a mission of his own to complete. He closed the TARDIS door fully behind him. Half an hour later, he stood before the Powell Estate, hands buried in his pockets. He didn't dwell much on the domestic, but he knew what it meant to be in financial straits. And whenever he was around for long enough, Jackie regaled him with her whole financial past, notably in 1997.

As he was climbing the stairs toward the Tyler flat, he heard Jackie's voice, miraculously hushed, coming from outside her door. He stepped out onto the landing below her floor and tiptoed forward until he could hear her fairly clearly. He didn't feel as bad eavesdropping on Jackie as he might have anyone else, as she'd have provided the information free of charge given the chance. He strained his ears to listen. Not surprisingly, she sounded stressed.

"I feel plain rotten, Debs," she was complaining. "I didn' have enough to get 'er that bicycle she's been eyeing for ages." She paused, as if listening to the other end of the line. "That's the one. In the shop window with the basket and the red and white ribbons." She paused again. "Oh, no. I couldn't. God knows you've got enough mouths to feed tomorrow yourself. Speakin' of which, I better go check on them cakes before I burn 'em."

She hung the phone up, and he listened as she dragged the cord back inside and closed the door. Then he turned on his heel and made his way downtown.

The next morning, Jackie woke to what she thought was an earthquake but was, in fact, Rose jumping on her bed like a loon. "Thank you, mum! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I love it!" Out of breath, she bounced to her bottom, kissed her mother's cheek and ran back into the hallway.

Frowning, Jackie pulled on her dressing robe. "'S only a doll," she said grumpily. But her mouth fell open as she approached their Christmas tree to see her twelve year old daughter fawning over a shiny red bicycle with a basket and red and white ribbons. She turned to hide tears from Rose. "Oh, Debs, you shouldn' have," she said under her breath. Later, when confronted about it, Debs would deny it no matter how hard Jackie tried to get her to admit to it.

And sometimes, Jackie wondered.

* * *

**A/N: Couldn't resist when the idea just came to me. It's always the smallest details in that show that hold the most potential. Review!**


	22. The Magic Words

**Disclaimer: Where oh where did my DW ownership rights go? Oh where oh where did they go?**

**A/N: Everyone else has one of these in one way or another so I figured I might as well add to the frenzy. This is set right at the very end of "Rose" rightrightright before he comes back. Enjoy.**

* * *

**The Magic Words**

She'd said _No_. Simple as that. So he left. Because he didn't give second chances. Not to Daleks or Cybermen or evil two-headed aliens or even pretty pink and yellow shop girls who saved his life because they were completely fantastic.

His shoulders drooped. He could go back. He could make her the one exception to his steadfast rule. He could give her a second chance to say yes.

But the truth was, he was afraid. Him. The Oncoming Storm. Scared to death of a fragile, blonde little human with no A-levels if he'd heard her correctly. Scared she'd turn him down again. Terrified of the tiny two-letter word she could break his hearts with.

So, instead of going back, he went ahead.

On the planet Caletano, he overthrew the tyrannous government by starting a revolution. While there, he did not think of how much she would have loved the bright purple leaves that fell from the trees and turned pink on the ground.

When he was kidnapped by the Ray species of Palo in the year 3.7 , did he think of how she might have saved him in the nick of time as he hung roasting over a pit of lava? No, sir, he did not. He saved himself.

Time and again, he didn't look at beautiful things in foreign lands and wonder if her eyes would have brightened in awe at the sight. Or of how wide her smile would have been at the unbelievable and alien things she would have seen. He didn't consider if a certain joke made by him at the expense of yet another someone leading him to his death would have made her laugh or not.

When he went back to the time of Caesar and Cleopatra, he didn't wonder how she might have looked in a certain toga or of the shade of her eyes had she wore a certain Egyptian eye cream.

When he landed in the future sky cities of Earth, he didn't think of the way she would look at him, like she'd done before when he'd shown her the impossible, look at him like he was too good to be true.

He didn't even think of how good had it had felt not only to once again, even for a short time, have a hand to hold but also to have it be hers.

He didn't wonder at what she might have said when he made a comment to an empty TARDIS.

In all this not wondering of her, a thought occurred suddenly to him. The hours upon days he'd spent alone since he last saw her seemed to melt away, and he smiled.

The TARDIS seemed ecstatic to be taking him back to the last place and time he'd seen her. He shrugged into his leather jacket. In all the commotion, he'd forgotten to mention one very important fact about his trusty time machine.

Maybe she was so incredibly fantastic that a simple spaceship wasn't tempting enough. Maybe it would take the other half of the story, time, to convince her that it was worth the trip.

His hand paused at the door knob. It would be good to see her. For her, mere moments would have passed. He'd gone days, and that was more than enough. He swung the door open and said the magic words.

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**A/N: Who knows how it really went? It could have been mere seconds for him too, but this is so much for exciting, don't you think? Review kindly.**


	23. Back

**Disclaimer: Non. Docteur Qui n'est pas de moi.**

**A/N: A follow up to "The Magic Words" because Rose had so much to say there.**

* * *

**Back**

He came back. And he said what he probably thought were the magic words.

What she never told him, what she'd never gotten the chance to say…was that the reason she'd changed her mind hadn't been because of the words.

She'd said yes the second time around because he'd come back. He'd come back and had given her a second chance.

He could have said anything. He could have opened that door and said "Jelly baby?" and she would have nodded without a second thought.

Over the time she got to spend with him, she thought back on that moment many times. She wondered what would have been if he'd never come back, how she would have lived with herself after that. And though she thought of it a lot, she never told him. By the time she realized she should, it was too late. There were so many things she would have told him given a second chance around. But maybe that second chance of a lifetime only ever came once, and she'd gotten hers already.

Maybe it was her turn to go back. And she'd do whatever it took to get there. She'd done it before, defeated the impossible, and she could do it again. So, with the thought of how he'd given her a second chance in her mind, she fought to give him a second chance. She fought to go back.


	24. Fighting Name

**Disclaimer: I used to own Doctor Who, but then it ran away.**

**A/N: Set during "The Shakespeare Code" because I quite like a jealous Martha.**

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**Fighting Name**

Martha's head rang, but she could feel herself regaining consciousness. Judging from the conversation between the Doctor and the witch, not even a minute had passed since she'd been hit. What was the witch saying?

"Oh, but your heart grows cold. A north wind blows and carries down the distant...Rose?"

With her eyes still closed, Martha's forehead crinkled with confusion. How could they know about..her?

"Oh, big mistake! Cause that name keeps me fighting!" Martha couldn't see what the Doctor did next, but she heard the witch scream. She was gone. Still, she didn't want to open her eyes. Doing so would feel like the equivalent of accepting defeat. Her heart was aching again in that familiar way she'd felt since the first time the Doctor had told her about her predecessor. It hadn't been the words. She couldn't expect to replace a good friend to anyone, but his voice had spoken volumes. Just the way he spoke the name. It was a caress.

Martha's forehead furrowed again when she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder. She didn't want to open her eyes and face him, having confirmed yet again what she already knew: that as much as he cared, as caring a person he happened to be, there would only ever be one fighting name for him. The knowledge that this name wasn't 'Martha' pierced her heart to no end.

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**A/N: I wasn't sure how much I liked this. For one thing, I like seeing Doctor/Rose through the eyes of others. On the other hand, I don't like making petty characters, even if the said character isn't my favorite. Either way, I did my duty. Now you do yours. Review, and we'll be square.**


	25. Forget Me Not

**Disclaimer: Mary had a DW copyright, DW copyright, DW copyright. Mary had a DW copyright, and it was never mine.**

**A/N: I've been working on this for too long already, and I'm still not satisfied. But I figure, if I don't post it now, I never will. And I can always work on it later when inspiration hits. Another quote chappie because I'll never get tired of those. **

* * *

**Forget-Me-Not**

_She is so alive._

If anything could make up for their separation, it was that. Because after all was said and done, she was breathing and living and loving. He knew the pain he felt was hers as well, but he could do nothing but revel in that because if she was hurting, then she was feeling. And is she was feeling, then she was living.

_Her name was Rose._

But there was so much more to her than a name. She was human and flawed and perfect in the way that only a flawed human could be. She was the stuff the universe ought to be made of more often, the stuff of legend. She was a wanderer, especially when she was supposed to stay still. She was brave. She was the hand he hadn't realized he'd needed to hold until he had. She had saved him so many times. And she was lost. She'd been the center of his universe, and he wondered waywardly how you found your way when you lost that.

_We were together._

For so long, for so many miles. She'd been there for what felt like a million years, and he wondered where the time went. She'd been there so long, he'd almost forgotten what it felt like to be alone. He'd gotten so used to having her there. Used to her smile when he showed her something new and brilliant. Used to her hug after a dangerous adventure. Used to taking care of someone and, more so, used to being taken care of. He feared now that he'd forget what it felt like to be together at all.

_Not that you're replacing her._

He hadn't meant to sound so cross, but he'd meant every word. He liked Martha. He really did. She was smart and generous, but she wasn't Rose Tyler. He'd had so many friends, seen so many days with them all. But if there was one, just one, out of them all who was truly irreplaceable, it was her.

_Rose would know…right now, she'd say exactly the right thing._

She'd always known nearly right from the start. Even if it had nothing to do with Shakespeare or aliens or tiny beds, she'd say what he most needed to hear. And he began to suspect that it wasn't the words that mattered but the voice that expressed them.

_Oh, big mistake because that name keeps me fighting. _

He'd lived this life for so long already, day after day fighting to believe in something worth giving it all for. And he'd grown so tired that he needed to be reminded sometimes of what it was he was fighting for. Her name was just the motivation he needed to lift himself to his feet.

_She's just an invention. This character. Rose, I call her. Rose. She seems to disappear later on._

When he was himself again, he thought back to the way it felt to be human. What stuck out the most were the dreams, though they'd been so fleeting and unreal. Especially the dreams he'd had of her. They'd been mere wisps at the edge of his conscience just threatening to disappear. And he hated the way that felt…as if she'd never really existed. He hated himself for forgetting her. Human him should have realized that even he couldn't invent someone so fantastic.

_Everything she did was so human._

Even then, she'd managed to surprise him. Power of a goddess, and yet, she did nothing more than she was born to do. Give life.

_She's not just living on a parallel world. She's trapped there. The walls have closed._

Saying it out loud was akin to accepting defeat. Though he'd done that a long time ago. Not that he hadn't gone through every scenario in his head, possible or impossible, to bring her back. Telling Jack, someone who'd known her nearly as well as he had, was different than telling it to others. It became a shared grief, but it only made that pain in his hearts that much sharper.


	26. 5 More Ways Rose Says I Love You

**Disclaimer: I own Doctor Who in a parallel universe that I can't travel to because RTD is evil.**

**A/N: Because you can never have too many ways… **

**5 More Ways Rose Says I Love You**

_I am. I'm sorry._

Not for saving her Dad. She wouldn't apologize for that. But she _was_ sorry she'd let him down. She'd never meant to undermine his trust in her, not when it meant so much to her.

_It was a better life._

So it was. He had shown her how to live. There was no going back.

_Can I just say, traveling with you... I love it._

It wasn't just the traveling she loved….that she could live without…but she'd hate to ruin the moment.

_Five hours._

But to be honest, she'd have waited five million years if that's what it would have taken.

_Stuck with you, that's not so bad._

An understatement. There was no one else in all of existence she'd rather be stuck with. Even if they had to do the domestic.


	27. 5 More Ways the Doctor Says I Love You

**Disclaimer: Ha, as if…I don't even own my own thoughts. Facebook's entitled to them all once jotted down.**

**A/N: Because you still can't ever have too many ways… **

* * *

**5 More Ways the Doctor Says I Love You**

_You look beautiful._

He hadn't meant to say the words. They'd slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them. But when she smiled, he forgot everything, including his regret.

_I wasn't really going to leave you._

He couldn't if he tried. He could sooner leave himself behind.

_I'm coming to get you._

Oh, she could just watch. Nothing was getting in his way, not even the whole stinking Dalek fleet.

_I want that body safe._

He'd known the moment she'd ignored pain that wasn't her own, and it wasn't right that the smile she gave him came from anyone other than her.

_No. Not to you._

If she'd known what he'd been like before, she wouldn't have asked. Maybe if she saw through the eyes of someone else, she'd see how differently he saw her.


	28. Balloon

**Disclaimer: If I owned Doctor Who, that would make me Russell T. Davies (I think…), which would make me a man, which wouldn't follow logic because I'm a girl…**

**A/N: Drabbledrabbledrabble. Times 6? Post Doomsday. Inspired by Mr. Mickey's comment in "The Christmas Invasion" about Rose's incessant obsession with the Doctor's brilliance and yellow balloons. Ta-ra!**

* * *

**Balloon**

There were so many things that reminded him of her.

Some were obvious. The only picture he had of her stashed away where he could stumble across it only if he were looking for it. The things left behind in her room, lonely and forgotten, except when he managed to venture inside.

Then there were the less obvious things. A barrette wedged between a gap in the console that she'd thought she lost on some alien planet. A heel tossed waywardly in an empty hallway that was hardly ever used, one she probably took off after one of their tiresome adventures on her way to bed.

Then there were thing so not obvious that only he got. A Union Jack. A lonely, choppy beach. This certain bran of lip gloss she'd been partial to. A yellow balloon

As he walked solemnly across the empty square, hands buried in his coat pockets, he stopped at the sight of the lost yellow balloon. He followed it with dark eyes as it bounced obliviously over the fountain, letting the wind lead it on its way.

No destination. But on it would go traveling. Until it popped. His lips quirked humorlessly at the connection he'd made in his mind between the balloon and himself.

It was too dreary a day to have such sad thoughts, so he sat at the edge of the fountain, watching the balloon as it floated out of sight and thought back to happier days.

* * *

A bright garden full of yellow balloons. Some had been huge, giving the illusion that if you took hold, it might carry you away. But he hadn't wanted to leave. Because she'd been there. And she drew his attention to the tinier ones, growing off green stalks among flowers.

The expression on her face left him in awe. The way she in took the scene around her with a childlike fascination. His eyes were glued to her face, so when she looked suddenly at him, he only became more entranced.

Something like self consciousness crept into her gaze. "What?" She asked, uncharacteristically unsure of herself.

A smile grew slowly on his lips. Without taking his eyes from hers, he shook his head, dumbfounded. "Everything you've seen," he murmured, then gestured around him, "And this still amazes you."

Her cheeks flushed, and she looked to her shoes when she realized he hadn't been gawking at her in distaste but in wonder. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, then slipped her hands into her sweater's pockets. "Yeah," she agreed. "'s just… Doesn' matter how many times we do this. You manage to blow me away every single one."

His eyes sparkled now as his grin widened. "Me?" He asked in disbelief. "Blow _you _away? Nah." He stood and approached her, hand held out for hers. "That's your specialty."

She took his hand automatically, her blush fading. "Says the Time Lord to the human."

As they turned and strode down the path towards a patch that promised red bananas, he squeezed her hand. "Ohhhh," he dragged the syllable."But you're not just any human. One of a kind."

Pleased, she gazed at his smiling face, and placed her left hand over their joined hands. "The both of us." She concurred.

* * *

The Doctor let out a long breath of air, more than it seemed he could hold. He blinked, breaking his contact with the retreating balloon. Standing, he tucked his hands into his coat pockets and turned away from the memory. As he strode away from the square, the yellow balloon continued down its mysterious path until it fell out of sight.


	29. Apple a Day

**Disclaimer: Don't own Doctor Who, but now, thanks to the awesomest most fantastic Whovian in the world, I own two DW items. Stone Rose and Companions handbook. **

**A/N: Post Doomsday, parallel world. Came to me in a fit of fruity inspiration. (Edit: Also, so sorry about the multiple Story Alerts. For some reason, FF wouldn't publish the update the first time. Or the second for that matter. But, like they say, third time's a charm, yeah? So, let's hope this time it works.)**

* * *

**Apple A Day**

Jackie Tyler hummed happily as she stirred her tea, a dash of milk and two cubes of sugar, thank you very much. And why shouldn't she hum? There were a million and one things to be happy about these days. Huge mansion with over thirty rooms. A driver. A butler. A maid. Anything she wanted with the snap of her fingers. And a doting husband. Oh yes, these were the days. The only exception to this happy umbrella hanging over her well coiffed hair was the blonde woman sitting at the table, looking remarkably like her. Her daughter had taken to filling her days with sighs that made even Jackie feel lonely.

She pursed her lips as her eyes fell on a quiet Rose, sitting glumly at the kitchen table passing an apple between her hands and looking at the fruit as if it had had a go at her style. Jackie tapped her perfectly manicured nails on the clean marble kitchen counter. Sad thoughts directed at her daughter faded when her old brand new husband swept through the door and planted a customary kiss on her lips. Remembering the morose Rose, she bit back a giggle.

"I expect you home in time for supper." Jackie chided as Pete lay a soft kiss on Rose's unresponsive head.

"Always, love." He picked his briefcase up, took a swig from Jackie's tea, hissed at the heat, then planted a last kiss on her cheeks. "See you then."

"Yeah," she smiled gently, then frowned. "Betta' eat right today, Pete. No mor'a that red meat. Remember what they say, an apple a day keeps the doctor away." She grinned at Pete's assenting grunt then gasped at the look on her daughter's face when her eyes passed over her again.

Rose was frozen in what looked like the most horrific, painful expression. Her lips were parted over the offending apple, but her eyes had filled with tears in a matter of seconds. She moved her limbs stiffly, dropping the apple with disgust, as if it were a bug. It took Jackie a matter of seconds to realize her mistake.

"Oh, Rose," she began. "I didn' think- I'm sorry-."

But Rose was past hearing. She glared fiercely at the apple, then seemed to come to a decision. She grasped the apple in her hand again, stood and ran for the back door. Tearing it open, she tossed the apple with all the strength she could muster.

"Rose…" Jackie tried again. Without turning, her daughter shut the door behind her and disappeared for the rest of the morning.

Later, when she was preparing a nice salad for Pete's supper (she'd cheat and eat the goods while waiting for him to get home), she noticed the fruit bowl was remarkably empty. And Sarita had bought a whole bushel of apples only yesterday. Her eyes landed on the trash bin where seven apples had been stuffed below a juice carton quite violently. She knew who'd done it and why. And while she knew it was hardly right to blame fruit, she never bought apples again. And she was quite certain that her Rose would never again so much as look at another.

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**A/N: Thanks so much for reading! I actually had a similar reaction when someone said this to me not so long ago. Needless to say, I no longer buy apples. They are evil. This chapter is dedicated to the aforementioned awesomest most fantastic Whovian,** _Francesca Montag_**, whose stories, if you haven't already, you must go out and read right this very minute. You can find her profile in my reviews muchily conveniently after you've reviewed this!**


	30. Mood Ring

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who. To claim so would be blasphemy, as foretold by the supreme rulers of all, my masters, the Daleks. **

**A/N: Somewhere in between The Doctor Dances and Bad Wolf. Just a fun bit inspired by a mood ring, of all things.**

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**Mood Ring**

Jack's eyes slid to Rose's finger where she was twirling a ring absently as she and the Doctor approached him through the crowded, alien town square. "Don't tell me you two got hitched without your best man," he smiled cheekily, one hand on his chest to indicate himself.

"Shut up." Rose smile back, then shoved him playfully. " 'S a mood ring," Rose flashed her newest jewelry piece proudly.

Jack scoffed. "Bunch of nonsense. Those things change color according to your body temperature, not your mood."

Noticing Rose's face begin to fall, the Doctor jumped in. Examining his sonic screwdriver nonchalantly, he spoke. "Oh, sure, the flimsy human pieces. You're forgetting…" He took Rose's ring finger and flourished it at Jack. "Alien."

Rose grinned, tongue between her teeth, lacing her fingers through the Doctor's, so they were now walking hand-in-hand.

Jack peeked down. "What's pink mean then?" He asked casually.

"Les' see," Rose used her free hand to pull a mini scroll from her pocket. As her eyes flitted sideways, Jack watched her face turn pink itself.

His grin widened. "Well?"

She mumbled something unintelligible, then tried to put the scroll back. Tried because Jack snatched it away before she could. "Hey." She exclaimed.

"Harkness," the Doctor called warningly over his shoulder.

But Jack could have sworn a flicker of curiosity passed the Doctor's face. So Jack indulged him with a reading. "Pink: romantic, flirty and…oh, ho, ho," Jack chuckled. "Completely infatuated."

As Rose's cheeks darkened, so did the shade of the ring. Jack wasn't sure if he'd imagined the flash of a smile that lasted for a millisecond on the Doctor's now stoic face.

"Magenta," Jack read. "Embarassed."

"Oi, give that back, Captain, or I'll-." She swung around, reaching out to snatch the scroll back. Instead, Jack caught her hand and laced his fingers with hers. The ring faded to a deep purple.

"Aha," Jack held the scroll out of her reach and read from it. "Anger, annoyance. Not on your good side today, am I?"

"Not remotely." Rose glared up at him.

The Doctor turned round and forced Jack's hand away from Rose's. "Don't listen to 'im." His arm slid around her waist and pulled her away with him. "He's just jealous I didn't get 'im one."

"You know me so well," Jack murmured, his eyes intent on the ring, which reddened in color as the Doctor's grip tightened.

"Red," Jack stated triumphantly. "Lus-." He began, but didn't finish, for the scroll was plucked from his fingertips.

"That's enough out of you," the Doctor quipped, slipping the scroll into his pocket, but Jack saw the twinkle in his eye and knew he wasn't the only one interested in what the colors meant.

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**A/N: Ta-da! A bit of fun because our heroes can't always be saving the world. Review, and I just might tell you what mood green means!**


	31. In Flux

**Disclaimer: Technically, I own Doctor Who…in French. Don't ask for the details. Only a genius could understand…or something.**

**A/N: Father's Day AU. What if Rose hadn't "tooched" the baby? Ha, I love NineSpeak. Here's just one among a billion possibilities. Read, review, the works, thanks.**

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**In Flux**

It was as Rose's mother and father bickered that he anticipated exactly what was going to happen. He couldn't allow it. So he darted forward just as Pete leaned down and intercepted Baby Rose before Rose Rose could create a paradox within a paradox. He stepped back, cradling the baby carefully in the nook of his left arm.

"She can't touch the baby." He scolded Pete.

Before the man could manage a reply, a wave of warmth reached him, emanating from the front of the church. He whirled around to see the Tardis fully materialized, then turned to grin brightly at the group. His eyes met Rose's guilt-filled ones. No time to coddle.

"Let's go save the earth."

Rose grinned, somber mood forgotten as she ran after him into the TARDIS. Still cradling Baby Rose, he began to heal time one-handed. "Hold that down there," he indicated a red switch to Rose, then began to type rapidly at the console scanner.

"It's really going to be all right?" Rose prompted excitedly.

He twirled a lever and flipped some buttons before grinning up at her. "All right? It's going to be fantastic!" He had time to bathe in the wondrous gaze she sent his way, the one that always made him feel like a hero before he turned back to the scanner.

His left fingers flew across the keypad. "Just put that right there," he murmured to himself. "And that." The baby cooed below him. "Hmmm, I think so too," he said as if in response to her.

"What did I say then?" Rose asked laughingly.

He looked at her with feigned incredulity. "_You _should know. You're the one who said it. These humans," he directed this last bit down at Baby Rose with a shake of his head. "Couldn't hurt to change that bit about Madonna there. And…" He dragged the word out and hit a huge button with a flourish. "Fin."

He gazed down at the baby. "How's that for a match then? Time monsters, love. Time Lord, game."

"Oh, go on, you know how brilliant we all think you are," the baby answered 18 years later from across the console.

The Doctor grinned at her. "Right, let's go see the results." He flew down the ramp and outside the TARDIS, Rose's footsteps echoing behind him. Cradling the baby carefully still, he ran across the church and outside. The sight that waited brought a new grin to his face. They were back. All of them. "All's well that ends well as me good mate Will always says." His grin faded as he turned back towards Rose. She was gone. He frowned and looked down. "Always runnin' off on me. Let's go see where you're off to. Probably checkin' up on good ol' dad. Oh look, there he is."

Pete was rushing forward, relieved eyes on Baby Rose. "Seen Rose then?" The Doctor asked.

Pete looked at him as if he were half mad. "But you've got her right there."

Startled, the Doctor looked down, then grinned. "Oh, right. This is yours." He handed her over gently then gazed around expectantly. "Now where's mine?"

Pete adjusted the baby then looked back. "Who are you then? Distant relative?"

The Doctor smiled. "Quite distant. You've forgotten." He seemed amused.

"Guess so," Pete answered distractedly. "Too many to keep track of."

"Right, well, I'll be going then soon as I find my friend. Seen her? 'Bout so high. Pretty, blonde. Tendency to find trouble in a second flat. No?"

"Sorry, no, but I'll give a shout if I see her."

The Doctor's brow furrowed as he searched the crowd for her, wondering if she was with Jackie. But, no, there was Jackie, chatting incessantly with the bride. The Doctor smirked. How different was Jackie going to be now she had her husband? The Doctor froze suddenly, every single cell of him. Different. Things would be…different. He flew faster than he'd ever before in his 900 years back to the TARDIS. But the readings there told him nothing. This was something human, not alien. So he flew back outside to find Pete. Also to keep an eye on the only version of Rose he had access to now.

Pete was sitting in one of the pews, waiting for the wedding party to sort itself out. He was playing with Baby Rose. The Doctor approached carefully, leaning casually on a pew. His eyes lingered on the baby. He swallowed hard. "Interesting wedding?" He tilted his head toward the altar.

Pete looked up warily. "Would have been. Good thing you saved it."

The Doctor started. "I did?" He cleared his throat. "I mean, I did." He paused. "How did I then?"

Pete chuckled. "I'd want to hear it from someone else too, mate. Good thing you talked the groom out of running off. Spare a broken heart or two. Don't reckon his dad's too pleased though. If you want to know what I think, they'd have been better off without the rings."

The Doctor nodded distractedly. Baby Rose was looking right at him. Something about two broken hearts. The Doctor looked at Pete. "Reckon you don't want that for your girl there."

Pete grinned. "Oh, no. She's going to be clever, this one. Not like me. She'll be out in the world doing great things, my Rose."

The Doctor grinned. "I reckon she will." His throat felt dry suddenly. How often did that occur with Time Lords? He couldn't think of the right answer. "Probably wouldn't want her working in a shop like…say, Henrik's."

Pete looked at him strangely. "Probably not, no. Rather she stay in school."

"Tell you what though," the Doctor said suddenly. "She'll probably like the clothes. Make sure she's there on that date." He wrote some numbers on a card and handed it to a bewildered Pete. "Huge sale after six." He held Pete's eyes a moment longer, urging him mentally to understand the importance of this. Then he turned and sat near the front of the church to wait, praying he'd be right.

The seconds passed slowly, each feeling like an hour. The wedding was reorganizing itself, the groom and his dad and the priest back at the front. The Doctor shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He hated waiting. Time felt so long for him. His shoulders slumped suddenly in despair. This wouldn't work. Of course it wouldn't.

Suddenly he heard the shrill voice of Rose's mother. "Sale?!" She nearly screeched.

The Doctor's face broke into a wide smile. Good old Jackie Tyler.

A moment later, someone tapped his shoulder. He didn't have to turn to know who it was. But he wanted to see her pretty smile. Ten minutes had been too long. He missed it.

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**A/N: Thanks for reading! And thanks for that spectacular review you're about to leave! Shout out for Northern Grunge who's one of me most loyal reviewers, and a shameless advertisement for her awesomeness story A New Journey. Go on and find it after you...Review!!!**


	32. Grocery Store Reunion

**Disclaimer: Just another in a long list of things I don't-own-but-really-wished-I-did.**

**A/N: Post Doomsday. Sometime in between Martha and Donna since I'd always bring Donna in no matter what. Also inspired slightly by TCASM's reunion series.**

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**Grocery Store Reunion**

Rose blew a strand of hair out of her face absently. She was waiting in line. Waiting in line at the market. Waiting in line at the market to buy groceries. Waiting in line at the market to buy groceries for her home. Waiting in line at the market to buy groceries for her home that wasn't the TARDIS. A deep sigh of misery broke through her lips at the thought as her eyes roved form face to face in the crowded shop, searching…

She couldn't help herself. Everywhere she went she was looking for that one face, the one that meant home. These days the search was automatic. She'd long given up on the hope of ever finding it. Oh, she saw bits. This one had his nose. That one had his eyes. Another his ears. She even swore she'd seen his smile once. But never the hair. She smiled sadly. Such great, great hair.

She was staring blankly into space when she suddenly had to blink because she'd been picturing him so vividly, she thought she was beginning to see things. Namely, him. When she opened her eyes, her heart stopped halfway up her throat. But that was impossible. There he was. It couldn't be. But he was there where he couldn't be.

Brown pinstripe suit, hand in pockets, amazing hair, sad, searching eyes. Rose didn't realize she was crying until she caught the alarmed stare of the cashier. Rose didn't care. She couldn't take her eyes off of him and his searching gaze. He _was _looking for her, wasn't he? A sob threatened to surface when he turned away suddenly, looking dejected, and headed for the exit. That was when Rose got her voice back.

She tried for his name but only produced a loud half sob, half yell that nevertheless stopped him and most everyone else in their tracks. "Doctor!" Rose managed finally just as he turned towards her. Their eyes met and suddenly they'd never been apart.

The biggest, most beautiful grin broke over his handsome face, and she could see his eyes moisten through her own tears.

"Excuse me," she choked, trying to get past the people in front of her.

"Budge off," the pudgy man snapped, shoving his shopping cart back towards her.

Meanwhile, the Doctor was fighting his way through departing customers. He slid from side to side trying to get around the melee of shoppers still separating them. Their frantic, joyful eyes never left each other's except for the millimoment it took him to determine that there was only one way they'd get to each other.

He vaulted himself onto the counter, eliciting startled exclamations from customers and shopkeepers alike. Rose dropped the jars in her hand, barely hearing them crash to the floor as she hefted herself onto the conveyor belt. Plastic wrap crinkled under her moving feet. Eggs cracked. Bags popped. But she had no idea because she was rushing towards the Doctor's extended arms.

They met right over the scanner, startling the cashier backwards. Rose's foot caught on a cereal box, and she tumbled forwards. The Doctor caught her, tipped her slightly backwards and caught her lips in a kiss that conveyed what words could not, their grief at their separation and their joy at their reunion. Her arms wound around his neck. His arms kept her steady when her knees went out. He squeezed himself to her tightly.

"I think we broke a couple eggs," the first thing he said to her through a muffled, trembling voice. Hard not to notice with people beginning to grumble and shout. Everyone else was staring curiously at them.

"Better'n a couple broken hearts," Rose groaned happily.

The Doctor pulled back, tilting her chin with his finger. "Oh, yes." His eyes twinkled as his hand slipped down to lace his fingers through hers, and she caught his lips in another grateful kiss.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Below is an extra that was the original "Grocery Store Reunion" idea. No need to read it, but I thought I might as well include it. Rose's point-of-view made the cut because I felt it was so much richer in emotion. I don't think I could write this right from the Doctor's; he's a bit harder to relate to being over 900 and all. **

* * *

From POV of shopkeeper: Sandra chewed her gum impatiently as she automatically ran product by product over the scanner. It was always the same. Laundry soap. Milk. Lettuce. Chocolate bars. Over and over again. Day in and day out. The boredom was beginning to kill her. There had to be something more. But if there was, she had yet to discover even what it was.

Her eyes roamed blankly over her customers. The faces had all begun to blend into one. No one stood out anymore. Suddenly, the faces divided, all centered by one tear-stained yet hopelessly happy visage. Sandra started at the intensity that seemed to roll off the blonde woman's face in waves. She followed her sharp gaze to a man standing starting just as intensely back from the other side of the register. There were tears beginning to form in his eyes now. What was she witnessing?

"That'll be fifty pounds." She took the money distractedly, focused intently as she was on the mysterious, separated couple who'd taken to trying to circumvent the busy #4 line. The cash register dinged open, but the crisp bill remained clamped in her hand. The man had leapt onto the counter, shocking half her customers. The crying woman was making her way now over unpaid for groceries. Sandra opened her mouth in protest, but she couldn't find her voice when the two collided just above her. She took a startled step backwards and stared in awe at what must have been a long-awaited reunion.

The man tipped the woman backwards and gave her an Oscar-worthy kiss. When they smiled, Sandra wondered if she'd found what it was she was waiting for. Not a man. Not exactly. Besides the way the blonde woman looked at him made it clear he wasn't just any man. No, she was looking for whatever it was that had brought them together. Whatever it was that made them blind to the busy world around them, made them run across grocery registers just to reach each other.

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**A/N: Again, gracias for reading. And thanks for the review! Which one, you ask? The one you're about to leave, says I!**


	33. So Human

**Disclaimer: If I owned Doctor Who, which is to say I don't, the episode I'm trying to restructure here would have gone a bit like this…**

**A/N: Takes place during Human Nature. AU obviously. Well, to me at least…you'll see why soon.**

* * *

**So Human**

He was conscious that he was dreaming, but everything felt so real, so vivid that he wondered if maybe his dreams hadn't come to life. He was in that same strange, mechanical blue box, the one that could fly. But he wasn't alone. His hand enveloped another's. He followed the ring clad hand to an arm, past a couple shiny bangles up to slender shoulders covered in bright yellow to a graceful bare neck and up to the only face more familiar than his own.

Her beautiful smile grew as he gazed into her dark honey eyes. He felt his body react in a way he wasn't familiar with. But the desire was quenched quickly by the need to have her closer. Not to satisfy that desire but to silence the fear that set his heart pounding.

It was as if…if he let her go, he might never see her again. His arm fit naturally around her waist. She let him pull her closer, nestled into his chest trustingly. They held each other, and the relief of having her closer was akin to that first breath you take when you break the surface of the water, having been below but a second too long.

* * *

She prayed the door wouldn't make a sound as she closed it behind her unbearably slow. Her heart pounded in her throat as she paused, leaning against the door, listening for evidence she'd been discovered. Nothing. She let a deep breath out. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, moonlit room, she could just begin to make out a sleeping form on the bed across the room. Light, uninterrupted snores reached her ears, familiar as the sound of her own breath whooshing through her ears.

She started forward slowly until she reached the edge of the bed. Softly as she could, she sat on the edge, freezing until his hitched breathing returned to normal. The moon light caught his face at the perfect angle. She could see every peaceful, familiar inch of it. Her hand was shaking as she moved it forward until it was hovering just above the dark brown fringe that lay above his forehead. Her fingers floated down until they rested against his skin, and she had to bite her lip to hold back a huge sigh of relief.

She caressed his face gently, willing him to both wake up and remain sleeping at the same time. She received her wish, at least partially, when he groaned and tilted his head into her touch. Tears glistened at the corners of her eyes. His eyelids fluttered open, and he gazed blearily up at her. It took a moment for him to focus on her face.

"Hullo," she murmured, the only word she was able to manage before her throat closed.

He opened his mouth to speak, then paused, then, "It can't be."

She smiled again. "I know." Her fingers twisted lovingly in his hair.

"This is a dream." But it was more of a question than a stated fact.

She tilted her head, tongue between her teeth in the usual manner. "Do you dream of me then?" A tear rolled slowly past her nose.

"All the time," he whispered.

His answer caught her by surprise, eliciting a gasp, widened eyes. Her frozen fingers soon started their caress across his face again. "Me too," she murmured.

"But," his hand found hers, covered it, stopping its dance across his face. "But you _are _a dream," he argued. Their fingers laced, and his eyes darkened. "I don't want to wake up."

She chuckled softly, cupping his face with her free hand, her fingers lingering over his lips. "Too late for that."

He frowned as his thumb rolled across the back of her hand. "What d'you mean?"

Her turn to frown. "Well, you're already awake. Honest, it's really me." Her voice was tender.

His thumb froze on her skin. "This…isn't a…dream?" He asked slowly.

She was grinning again. "If it is, then it's the best I've ever 'ad."

He paused, then sat up quickly, his hands scrambling to find his glasses.

She sat back in confusion. "What? Doctor, what is it?"

He finally managed to light the candle next to his bed. His eyes widened when her face remained real where it was instead of fading with his dreams as it usually did. He asked the only question that could make sense now. "Who are you?"

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**A/N: I know, first time cliffhanger and all, but that gives me the opportunity to turn this into a full fledged fic, which I've been wanting to do for awhile. I'm going to assume you realized the "he" was John Smith (technically) and the "she" was Rose. If I was presumptuous to assume so, I'd recommend you go get some sleep and come back later to re-read. Otherwise, feel quite free to review!**


	34. One Thing He Never Thought He'd Do

**Disclaimer: Guess what I'm going to be for Halloween? Who's afraid of the big bad wolf, big bad wolf, big bad wolf? Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? That'd be Dalek Caan…and pretty much any other Dalek out there. *evil cackle* Oh yes, be afraid, be very afraid. My disclaimer where I tell you I don't own Doctor Who…well, it's in the subtext. Read between the lines (or lions).**

**A/N: This is temporally unsituated, which just means I don't really know **_**when **_**it takes place, but I do know it's Nine and Rose. And…well, you'll see…**

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**Number One Thing the Doctor Never Thought He'd Do**

"It's a girl," Jackie stated triumphantly.

"It's a what?" The Doctor managed in disbelief.

Jackie scoffed. You've got a daughter."

He gaped at her with a mouth like a fish. "I've got a what?"

She rolled her eyes now and put her hands on her hips. "You. Are. A Father."

His head snapped back around towards her from where he'd been staring dazedly into empty space. "I'm a what?" He asked stupidly.

Jackie was openly glaring now. "Doctor?" She spoke between clenched teeth.

He looked down at her in confusion again. "Who?"

Resolved, Jackie pulled her arm back. "Can't say I'll be sorry." She swung her arm around, delivering a stinging blow to his jaw.

He wrenched around then turned back swiftly to face her.

"Did you hear a word I said?!" She bellowed at him.

Clutching his face, he blinked at her, then stood straight. "Course I did, Jackie. Can't help hearing. I've got a baby girl." He flashed a ten wattage smile. "Where is she?" He demanded.

Before Jackie Tyler, queen of talk and gossip, could muster a response, he'd pushed past her. Flying down the hallway, he burst into the forbidden room, startling a fatigued Rose. It took him just a second to absorb the scene, but he stood absorbing it for what felt like forever only because it was so perfect.

Rose was propped up with pillows, her face pink and covered with a fine sheen of sweat. But he'd never seen her looking more beautiful. Her honey brown eyes were bright with wonder and joy and love. And in her arms, she held a perfect little stranger. They'd never met, but he could tell already that he'd do anything for her. Just like her mother.

"Doctor?" Rose finally prodded him.

He shook his head, finger on lips, wanting to soak this moment of absolute perfection into his eternal memory. Someone shouldered past him suddenly. Jack, of course, there to ruin everything.

"This the little princess?" He spent the next minute and a half cooing ridiculously at this obvious genius of a daughter of his. Without turning, he asked, "Well, don't you want to meet her before she thinks she's mine?" Jack turned to wink, but his cheeky smile faltered at the storm in the Doctor's eyes as he took a step forward. Smiling knowingly, Jack turned to Rose, arms held out. "May I?"

Rose hesitated then nodded, letting him take the little bundle gently into his arms. Jack turned slowly to face the Doctor who had an arm raised in caution lest the foolish captain drop this precious, fragile thing. Jack offered him the bundle. "You know you want to," he teased.

The Doctor was frozen in awe as he gazed down upon her perfectly angelic face. She had the most intelligent eyes. She might even be smarter than him. With all of Rose's goodness. Perfect. Without his brain giving the command, his arms curled out naturally, numbly to receive his daughter. As soon as Jack let go, and only he was supporting the tiny thing, he let out a gasp of surprise.

Rose shifted suddenly, hands clutching at the sheets towards them. "What is it? What's wrong? Is she alright?" She relaxed at the grin that spread across her Doctor's daft old face.

"No," he clarified. "She's perfect."

Later, he lay curled into Rose, their daughter nestled between them. He stroked Rose's hair absently. He hadn't taken his eyes off the sleeping baby's face in the last hour.

"She's got your ears." He murmured.

"Quite right," Rose replied sleepily, pinching one of his earlobes softly. "But she's got your eyes."

"Oh, I know," he replied enthusiastically. "She's going to be a genius. I can just tell."

"Good," Rose finally managed to catch his eyes and grinned sleepily. "Won't be a dunce like her mum then."

He glared at her, cupping her face. "Don't you dare talk like that. If we're lucky, she'll be half as good as you."

"Better," Rose quipped happily.

"Not possible," his eyes burned.

"She'll need a name," Rose kissed her daughter's soft skin and stroked the tuft of hair on her head, red in color.

"What about Jacqueline?" His eyes were on Rose's as he asked this.

Rose gave a start of surprise. "You don't mean that?" She asked disbelievingly.

And she would have believed it but for the grin that split his face a moment later. "Course not, she's more of a Lily."

"Lily," Rose repeated, then smiled widely. "I love it."

"I know," he whispered before bestowing a soft kiss upon Rose's lips.

"D'you think she's gonna be a time traveler like her daddy?"

"Oh, she's going to be much more. The universe has been waitin' for her."

"Better with three," Rose murmured sleepily.

"Oh, yes."

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**A/N: And if it's cliché even in the slightest, I don't care, because I had the best time writing it. Coming up with a name was more difficult than you could imagine, but then I decided I was spending too much time on it and just went with something pretty and simple. Besides, Rose is named after a flower…why shouldn't her daughter be? Thanks for reading! Please review! Out of curiosity…what name would you have chosen?**


	35. Masquerade

**Disclaimer: Here's a riddle: Who's wearing colorful socks, has a lot of homework and doesn't own Doctor Who? This gal!**

**A/N: This is probably my longest chappie yet, and to be honest, I wasn't going to post it until someone wonderful convinced me I was sort of mostly being hard on myself. It's Ten/Rose and Four/Rose, and I'll explain how that works in my A/N at the bottom in case it escapes you. But time-wise this is anytime in between New Earth and Army of Ghosts. Even if you haven't seen any old Who with Four (as portrayed by the lovely Tom Baker), you can still read through and get something out of it…at least that's what I've been told. Please enjoy! It has been developed for your liking...**

* * *

**Masquerade**

"You almost ready, Rose?" The Doctor called from around the corner.

"Almost," she called back from the wardrobe.

He was muttering to himself and fiddling with his bow tie when she emerged. He was rendered speechless. Literally. In an emerald green ball gown, she was stunning. He knew he was gaping like an idiot, but he couldn't seem to care as his eyes traversed her from head to toe and back to her pleased smile. "You look-. You look-." He couldn't seem to find the right words.

"Thanks," she grinned knowingly and tightened his tie before taking his hand and leading him out to the masquerade.

The party was in full swing when they stepped out of the TARDIS. The Doctor's brow furrowed as he stared around at their surroundings. "Hmm," he frowned. "There's something frighteningly familiar about this place."

Rose only half heard, as she began to sway back and forth with the orchestra music, entranced by the vision of graceful dancers in bright, beautiful costumes.

"It's like I've been here before," the Doctor spoke in a concerned tone. "But it's like I can't…quite…place it."

She patted his chest. "If you have happened to have been here before, we'll know soon enough." She turned and stalked thorough the doors with a sly grin.

The Doctor began fiddling with his tie, managing to loosen it once again. "What's that supposed to mean?" He started after her. "Rose," he called. "Is that a reference to my accidental inability to go anywhere without disaster following close behind?"

Rose smile as she waited for him to catch up. Yes, she had been referencing that, but he'd had it coming for 900 years now and counting.

He appeared behind her. She felt his breath on the back of her neck. "Care to dance?" And his low voice warmed her insides.

"Oh, yes," she breathed.

They took to the floor hand in hand. It wasn't long before her head was resting against his chest. She sighed contentedly. Might as well enjoy the moment while it lasted. Moments like these were hard to come by and always short lived for them what with the type of life they led. The song ended, confirming her thoughts.

"Oh, nibbles!" The Doctor exclaimed suddenly. He pointed. "Want some?"

She grinned and shook her head.

"Don't know why I feel I've been here before," he muttered as he walked away.

She swayed from side to side as she waited at the edge of the floor for him to return. As she did so, she contemplated him, this new new Doctor. It hadn't been long since he'd changed his face, but already he'd managed to leave dents in her heart. First Sarah Jane, then the French aristocrat, and the absolute assurance she heard in his voice when he told her it couldn't last. This new Doctor…she liked him. He really wasn't that different after all, but… Sometimes she found herself comparing the Before and After. Before, he hardly ever left her side. She'd always been the one wandering off. Now… It pained her to think of the all the ways in which he went swanning off. She knew she should be glad. Half of it was due to his confidence in her. He believed so deeply in her that he knew she could take care of herself. But another part… He was missing whatever it was he'd had before that had stopped her dancing with Jack. Oh, he still danced. But it hadn't been the same since.

She sighed deeply. Knowing him and the trouble he could get into, he'd be awhile. Her eyes wandered to the stairs that curled up to a dark balcony overhead. She wandered over and ascended. She could wait for him there. She skirted the large, plush arm chair and leaned on her elbows on the banister.

From above, the scene was even more beautiful. Dancers twirled gracefully, their shiny apparel reflecting the lights majestically. Their glittering masks hid their faces, adding intrigue to an already appealing scene. She remembered suddenly her own mask. They were at a masquerade after all. She held it out, running her fingers over the elaborate green and blue beads, the glossy black feathers. What a frilly thing it was. She'd never worn something like it before. Never would have without the Doctor. And, as she hooked the mask over her face, she knew…that was why it didn't matter that he could change his face. In the end, no matter what he looked like, he was the same person to the core. He was still fantastic and brilliant and she still…well, he could turn into Dr. Jekyll, and her feelings, whatever they were, wouldn't change when they came to him.

She rested her chin in her hands and gave a long deep sigh that turned, halfway, into a smile when she spotted him gleefully downing what suspiciously looked like a banana daiquiri. Tears sprang, unbidden, to her eyes. She tried to wipe them from beneath the mask, but they kept coming until soon her shoulders were noticeably shaking.

She was interrupted by a cough and a hand that reached over her shoulder to dangle a brown and blue plaid handkerchief in front of her face. She took it with a grateful nod without turning around and managed to use it to dry the tears that were already there.

A dry male voice spoke up from behind her. "I can't imagine what it takes to make someone who had only just looked so happy…sad enough to cry the Tiber over a ball room."

She turned to see a man leaning against another similar banister to her right. She hadn't noticed him before, or he'd only just gotten there. He was dressed strangely, even for a masquerade, in a brown velvet coat with a ridiculously long scarf that trailed to the floor wrapped around him. His hair drew her attention more than anything, elaborately curly. It looked silky. She'd have run her hands through it if she thought she could get away with it. She wiped a stray tear in what she hoped was a casual manner. She chuckled, but it only came out sounding sad. "Who wants to know?" She sniffed.

"Only me," he promised, holding his hands up to show he was alone. "And I don't bite."

"Well, that is what you'd say," she half teased.

He feigned hurt. "I wouldn't hurt a fly. Besides, look at these teeth. They're best suited biting through jelly babies."

She couldn't see the harm in speaking to a perfect stranger, especially when he seemed so familiar. "Have I met you before?" She asked suddenly.

"Anything's possible," he retorted in his satiric manner. "But I know I've never met you. I'd remember."

His eyes were on her so intensely that she had to look away. He a moved a step closer. "But you do seem familiar," he said softly. "As if I've seen you…"

"…in a dream," she finished with him, nodding, entranced once again by his gaze.

He gave a sudden silly smile that threw her off. "No matter. If I didn't know you before, I do now."

She returned the smile almost unwillingly. She couldn't seem to stop it. But her dark thoughts surfaced, pulling her under again.

"I do wish you wouldn't frown." He raised a hand as if to touch her face but dropped it and took a step back when he seemed to realize what he was doing.

"Why?" She really was curious. Who was this man? And why did she feel like she'd known him her entire life?

"Because it rather detracts from that lovely smile." He paused a beat. "Yes, that one. Those lips," the tip of his index finger was suddenly perched on her lower lip, "…were made to smile." He seemed to catch hold of himself again and snatched his hand away.

She opened her mouth to speak, to say something that resembled sense again when he spoke before she could. "Dance with me."

She didn't hesitate. "Alrigh'."

He stretched out a hand, and she looked at it tentatively before gingerly placing her fingertips in his palm. His hand curled around hers, enveloping it in warmth. "Déjà vu," She laughed sweetly.

He smiled. "Isn't it wonderful?"

She didn't know, so instead of answering, she slid her hand up his strange velvet jacket until it came to rest on his shoulder.

His other hand moved towards her waist slowly, almost as if asking permission. Her eyes granted it. She couldn't take her eyes from him as they moved slowly back and forth from side to side. She didn't think she could ever give a name to what it was about him that enchanted her so. He wasn't particularly handsome, but one of the most important things she'd ever learned was that handsome wasn't everything. Sometimes it wasn't anything. Cleverness and kindness mattered more, but while he seemed to have those, it wasn't that which held her so spellbound. No, she couldn't name it. It was as mysterious as him.

At first, they danced, distance between them. But bit by bit, he was pulling her closer, or else she was orbiting towards him. Regardless, they were suddenly close enough that Rose could comfortably rest her face on his chest, but she didn't. That would have robbed her from getting to stare into his unapologetic gaze.

"Who are you?" She asked, and the awed tremor in her voice made her blush.

"I might ask you the same?" he spoke in a deep tone.

"Oh, I'm nobody special." She was thinking of the man she traveled with. How could she even begin to compare?

He scoffed, laying her second hand on his other shoulder and placing his now free hand at the other side of her waist. "Liar," he hissed through a grin.

She looked down bashfully.

"Come with me," he said suddenly.

"Where?" She asked, startled.

"Anywhere." And there was no smile this time, just a blaze in his brown flecked eyes.

"I can't," she whispered, dropping her head finally onto his chest just over one part of the scratchy scarf.

"Why ever not?" He seemed incredulous.

"I'm with someone."

"Ah," he replied as if he'd already known, then paused. Then, "Is that who the tears are for?" And he used a bit of his scarf to dry her face.

She gave a half laugh. "No. And…yes. But…oh, it's too complicated."

"I'm extremely clever," he provided.

"You sound like him," she grinned.

"Him…" He repeated, then stopped moving. "When you say with someone…?"

"I don't know," Rose answered the unasked question with a laugh, resting her forehead on his jacket.

"That's most unusual." He observed.

"Tell me about it, mate." And she was really laughing now.

He took her chin in his palm and tilted her face, running his thumb over her upturned lips. "I do like it when you do that."

"What?" She asked, being coy.

"Smile." He smiled himself.

"I am." She told him, her hand covering his.

"I know, and it's brilliant. You should be with someone who makes you smile."

The smile faded. "He does. All the time."

He pouted. "But I meant me."

She laughed, but there were fresh tears. "I promised him I'd be with him forever."

He caught a tear with his thumb and rubbed his fingers together. "Sometimes forever can mean a very, very long time. There's no such thing as forever when you're mortal." He whispered.

Her eyes closed in pain at that. "I know."

He tilted her chin up, and she opened her eyes. "Do you believe there's someone for everyone?"

"Sometimes," she whispered back. "Do you?"

He lowered his head and placed soft kisses over both her eyes. "I didn't," he answered.

"And now?" She asked.

He paused and made sure she was looking at him. "I don't dance with just anyone."

He caught her lips in a blazing kiss, and she let him. She cried, not because she was happy or sad but because maybe, just maybe, he was right. Maybe there was someone for everyone. But…if that was true, was her one the one waiting for her below or the one she couldn't tear herself away from now? She kissed him back because, maybe, just maybe he was her one.

He pulled back when he began to taste her tears, too many now for her to hide. He caressed her face then surprised her yet again. He pulled her back with him until he was sitting in one of the plush arm chairs with her in his lap. And after a moment, they were both wrapped warmly in his scarf. And he held her until her tears subsided.

"I do wish I could see your face," he ran a finger down her mask. She began to remove it. He stopped her. "Am I going to see you again?" He asked.

Afraid she'd start crying again if she spoke, she simply shook her head. "Then leave it, you'll be my mystery peacock. I do like a good mystery."

She nestled into him and asked a one worded question. "Why?" She didn't have to elaborate, she knew. She didn't know why she knew. She just did.

He understood what she was asking. "I don't know." He really didn't. "But I suppose things like this only happen once in a million years. I wouldn't expect it to be anything less than a mystery." He paused. "I really don't dance with just anyone."

She sniffed. "Good."

He laughed. "What _am_ I going to do?"

"What do you mean?" She sat up to study his face.

His arms wound around her, holding her close. "I mean, how on earth am I going to let you go? I've only just found you."

"Don't you have someone?" She asked in a choked voice.

"Not like this," he murmured.

"I'm sorry." She rested her head on his chest again.

"Don't be. You never know. We could always find each other again."

"Yeah." But she didn't believe him.

Something in his pocket began to beep. He groaned and pulled out some sort of electronic device. She barely got a glimpse of it before he was replacing it. "Time. There seems to be so much of it, but it's always against us, isn't it?"

She tried to hold back new tears as she stood. He let her, but he didn't let go of her hand as he stood beside her.

She turned to gaze up at him. "I-." She faltered, her lips trembling. He swept her close to him. "I'll never forget this. Forget you, I mean."

"I should think not," he grinned. "Then I'd better leave you with something memorable."

Her eyes grew bleary at the word 'leave.' "You already have."

"Still," he took her chin in his palm once more. "Doesn't hurt." And he pressed his lips to hers once. Twice. A third time. He swept his hat onto his head and turned on his heel. The curtain swayed and then settled into place as he disappeared from sight.

Rose let go of a shaky breath, finally releasing the tears of misery she'd been holding back. She bent her head when suddenly her face was jerked up, and a pair of familiar lips were crushing themselves to hers. His arms were around her tightly, and she couldn't see, couldn't think, couldn't breathe.

After a long moment, he pulled back breathing heavily. "And that's how you say goodbye." He was gone after another moment, for real this time, she knew. But now she was smiling and crying.

Ten minutes later, she had taken her mask off and dried her tears. She knew, later, when she was alone, she'd think over it all again and have herself a good sob. For now, the last half hour was like a dream. When she found him, the Doctor, he was looking for her, his brow creased with worry. But when he saw her, he smiled brightly, took her into his arms and resumed dancing.

"That was a hell of a party," he was saying later as they closed the TARDIS door behind them.

"I know," Rose agreed. "And I can't believe nothing catastrophic happened, what with you around n' all."

"Well, I guess we just got lucky."

"Yeah," Rose murmured, remembering a commotion they'd heard earlier that had disappeared as fast. "Ever figure out why you thought you'd been here before though?"

"No," he seemed to be deep in thought. He shrugged suddenly. "Oh well, I probably ended up having too many banana daiquiris."

She laughed. "Sounds like you." He grinned softly back. "Well, I'm gonna go change."

"Kay. Hurry up. You don't want to miss Jardinia at sunset."

"Good way to end the day," she called back as she headed towards the wardrobe.

Entering the humongous wardrobe, Rose undressed and hung the beautiful dress back in its place. Jardinia, he'd told her. She dug her hand under a pile of discarded clothing from earlier, looking for her undershirt. She pulled it out to find one of her nails was caught on something. So she half slipped the shirt over her head and half pulled out whatever it was she was caught on. The shirt covered her face, and she couldn't see what wooly thing she'd managed to grab. She pulled the shirt on completely and gaped at the sight that awaited her in her own hands.

It was a scarf. But not any scarf. It was the very one she'd cleaned her tears with only minutes ago. She gaped, still in disbelief, absolutely certain that had been a one of a kind scarf. So she pulled on it to prove it by its short length or a changing pattern. But no…she got to the end of the hall, and the scarf was still half buried. The pattern was the same. For the tiniest second, she didn't know what to think. Then she exploded in a rage of fury that sent her flying across the TARDIS to the console room, dragging the monumental scarf in her footsteps.

She stopped inches from where he'd turned to stare at her from where he'd been tinkering with the TARDIS. Upon first seeing her, he'd clutched the back of his neck in embarrassment, trying not to look down. Now he saw her face as it was and worry etched across his face.

"Rose, what is it?" He asked carefully, eyeing the way her fist was tightened around the scarf that brought back memories.

"How could you?!" She spit at him. He couldn't help but flinch. She'd _never _been this mad at him before.

He held his hands up and spoke gently. "Be fair. I don't even know what I did."

"How could you?" She repeated, ignoring him. She had begun to shake terribly. She brought the hand with which she was clenching the scarf to her forehead. She held it there. "How could you? How could you? How could you?" She repeated over and over.

"Rose." He took a cautious step forward, but her glare stopped him.

"Everything you've said…how much of it is true?" Her face was twisted in fury as she yelled at him like she never had before.

"Rose, I don't-."

She had a mask, the one she'd never worn at the ball, in her right hand. She swept it up to her face. Something in his memory tugged hard, something trying to be remembered. She tilted her head at him and spoke with a mocking tone. "I'll never forget you."

He gasped as an explosion of memories flooded his brain, and each and every one was of an experience he'd long since repressed of the happiest and saddest thirty minutes of his 900 years. "You." He managed to gasp.

She dropped the mask on the floor and glared at him. "All this time. All this time, you knew what was going to happen and you never said."

He tried to tell her, but he was still trying to get a grip on the memories. He remembered it all now. He remembered why the masquerade had been so familiar. Because he'd been there before. In his fourth form, he'd been there. The hostess had been possessed by an alien of incorporeal form. She'd needed cleansing. So he'd waited it out in the alcove above the ball room. There he'd been, innocently twirling his scarf, when someone had interrupted his loneliness. A blonde woman whose face he'd never seen but who'd stolen him, head and heart, all in the same night. That someone had been Rose. And he'd never known because he'd made himself forget. He'd left her because the alien was ready to be taken to its home planet, but he'd never wanted to go, but he knew he never could go back. So he made himself forget just how wonderful he could feel after all.

"Do you know how much I've suffered? How much I've been suffering all night?" The anger had subsided to pain now.

"I didn't know." He murmured taking a tentative step forward. When she didn't try to stop him, he stepped to her and took her waist in his hands. "I'm so sorry, Rose. I didn't know."

He thought back to the way she'd been acting all night. She'd tried to hide her misery from him, but he'd seen right through her. Now he knew why. He'd been looking for her all over, and she'd been off gallivanting with some-. Wait a minute…was he experiencing envy of himself? His past self? He shook the feeling away, concentrating on her now.

She was hiding her face behind a hand. "I really didn't know."

"I know," she murmured suddenly, shaking her head.

"What?"

"I know. I know. Of course you didn't. How could you? You never saw my face."

He smiled now. "That was my loss." But she still wasn't smiling. "No, I didn't. And-." He stopped himself.

She sniffed. "And," she prompted.

"And I didn't know because…I made myself forget."

She paused. "What?"

"I couldn't…I didn't want to remember what I couldn't have, so I forced myself to forget. You only just now reminded me. Literally."

She was starting to look mad again, which made him nervous. "You made yourself forget?"

"You have to understand, Rose. The way I feel…it isn't anything I could even begin to explain. Do you remember the way it felt to say goodbye?"

A tear escaped her eye, and she nodded.

"Well, imagine having to feel that every second for the rest of your life as if it were only just happening."

She took a shaky breath. "I can't."

He nodded. "That's the way I see the world. That's the way I remember." He stroked her cheek. "I never forget."

"Unless you want to," she provided.

"No," he shook his head. "Have to. I had to. It was killing me."

She was contemplating everything now. "So…that was really you? This is really yours?"

He grinned. "That was really me. And this," he took a part of the scarf into his hands, "is really mine."

She smiled up at him. "You found me after all."

He laughed lovingly. "Oh yes."

There was a brief pause, during which Rose could feel everything was settling back to normal. No, things were different now, and they always would be, but they'd remain unspoken. At least for now. "So…Jardinia." She was trying for that bit of normalcy.

The Doctor smiled brightly. "Jardinia." He took her hand excitedly, and then was suddenly frowning. "But-. It's just… I mean… You-."

"What is it Doctor?" Rose asked worriedly.

"It's just…I mean…well…Rose, I hate to point it out, but… Well, you-. You're in only your knickers."

He expected her to flush in embarrassment and flee the room stuttering. As ever she did, Rose Tyler surprised him and smiled cheekily, holding up the scarf. "Wanna bet?"

* * *

**A/N: Hehe, down Rose. Get it? Two different time lines for the Doctor: one way back before he met Rose in his fourth regeneration, and he was only at the stupid ball to defeat a stupid alien, which is why they had no catastrophic problems. See, the Doctor had taken care of those problems a long time ago. Second one with Rose, as you saw. Brilliant, you say? I know! Now review please! I'm missing the love here. Oh and then go read **_Francesca Montag's _**lovely piece "Fantastic." You will nowhere near regret it.**


	36. Moments

**Disclaimer: I'll swap my Collector's Limited Edition Lego Millenium Falcon for rights to Doctor Who! Any takers?**

**A/N: Nine/Rose. Thoughts really from the Doctor's perspective…and set throughout "Bad Wolf" and "Parting of the Ways." Oh, and credit for the story's title and partially the overall idea goes to **_Francesca Montag (Thanks)_**. Enjoy all!**

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**Moments**

The moment he realized he loved her was the moment he remembered when he first fell in love with her. And he never could have had the second epiphany without the first. The first realization occurred in the sort of situations you'd never have thought something as pure and innocent as love could exist. In the middle of battle, war, dying. Namely, her death. Her death that wasn't a death. When she disintegrated on the sadistic set of the Weakest Link. When she had, as he'd always feared she would, turned into dust.

The moment she disappeared in front of his unbelieving eyes on the game station was the moment he realized how much she'd melted his cold hearts, how much the continuation of their beating depended on the beating of her own far more fragile, but huger human heart. When she was gone, when he thought he'd never see her alive again, was when he realized he'd fallen into the exact trap he'd been eternally trying to avoid. She'd stolen his daft alien hearts explicitly against his permission.

The moment that followed that one tripled his pain because he thought back to the moment she'd committed her lovely crime right under his unsuspecting nose. November 7th, 1987. She'd disappointed him terribly but never in a way he ever would have expected. She wasn't asking for power or money or any of those things these stupid apes killed for. She did what she did out of love. She was the most human of everyone he'd ever known. And right at that moment, his hearts broke with the love that pulsed through them.

So, when the time came to wish her goodbye, he gave himself one selfish allowance. If she remembered when it was all over, he could pin it on the vortex. The continuation of her precious existence depended on that kiss, he could tell her, though he'd be lying through his alien teeth. So he saved her, and all he took in return was one sweet human gesture because he'd hate to forget just how humane she could make him feel.

The moments lasted mere human seconds, but he was timeless, and in him those moments were infinite. He'd always feel what it felt like to fall in love with her as if it were only just happening. It was a fantastic feeling, made the better by her presence, and he couldn't bear the thought of having to feel it in her absence because those moments would become as hopeless as they were beautiful.

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**A/N: I wanted to say thank you to everyone, readers and/or reviewers alike. Thanks to you, we've reached over 10,000 hits, 29 story alerts and 26 favorites. Yay, thanks to all of you! But hmmm…29 story alerts with over 10, 000 hits but only an average of about 5 reviews per chapter…I've got quite a few lurkers. And to think, you could become a full fledged reader for the price of only one review. I hear reviewers are happier, in general, than non reviewers. True story…just ask one of my loyal, faithful reviewers…those of you to who this applies, I thank you! To all my lurkers, review if you please…though I'll love you either way really…**


	37. What Happens When You Leave Rose Tyler

**Disclaimer: I've got no TARDIS. I've got no Doctor Who rights. No pony, no Ferrari, but I'll tell you what I have got. Cough medicine.**

**A/N: Ten/Rose. Set during GitF. **

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**What Happens When You Leave Rose Tyler**

The Doctor sighed silently to himself as his eyes roved the ever familiar stars above, stars he would only ever get to see from below now that he'd opted for the slow path. Not that he'd been eagerly anticipating moving at the same sluggish speed humans had to live with. He'd just been doing what he always did when he'd smashed through that window with Arthur: choosing others over himself. He thought of the woman who waited beyond this door for him.

But she wasn't the only one waiting, and he had to admit she wasn't the one he was looking forward to seeing again. No, the woman he could hardly bare being apart from…he wouldn't see her again for over two hundred years. And if the wait didn't kill him, then the manners of transportation he'd have to settle for until then would.

A commotion from the hallway beyond stirred him from his reverie. Raising his eyebrows, he turned on his heels and headed for the sign of trouble. Some things never changed.

What he saw when he slid into the nearly empty ballroom surprised even him. Shocked, really. Doctor of impossible. He expected everything, him. Except for this. The TARDIS was materializing in the middle of the polished wood floor, the sound like the most beautiful music in existence to his ears. He hardly registered the shocked servants or Reinette's beautifully carved confused look. He started forward when the doors suddenly blasted open, knocking him backwards a few feet.

The strongest wave of déjà vu crashed over him as he took in the horrific sight of Rose's golden apparition in the doorway. The light pulsed through her, and she was floating majestically through the air to land in the middle of the ballroom between him and the TARDIS.

"What manner of magic is this?" Reinette spoke in tones of wonder and even fear.

Rose turned her intense gaze now from him to the uncrowned queen of France who bowed her head in wondered submission. "Not magic," her voice echoed timelessly. "Time."

"What are you?" Reinette couldn't seem to stop her curiosity from getting the better of her.

"I am Bad Wolf. I am time. You are but a speck in all I see and know."

She looked sharply in the Doctor's direction when he tottered forward one step. "Rose, what have you done?" His voice held a tremor of terror.

Her eyes blazed with fire. Suddenly she stood mere inches from him. "Everything and nothing to get you back. You left me." The human tone of accusation in her majestic angelic voice turned into a grin on his face. She scowled.

"But you're here," he couldn't control the emotion in his voice at that truth.

"One good reason I shouldn't leave you stranded here in the middle of nowhere." The light was beginning to fade, and her voice was losing some of its ethereal quality.

"Oh, I'd hardly call Versailles the middle of nowhere." A spike of panic burst through his veins when she was suddenly standing in the doorway of the TARDIS, her hand on the door. "Wait! There is one reason."

The light was almost completely gone. She hesitated and took one step out of the TARDIS. "Yeah? What is it?" She crossed her arms.

He laughed joyfully as he skipped across the room to her. "I love you, you stupid ape." And suddenly his mouth covered hers in a slow, loving kiss. She smiled through it, but later she'd make sure he knew that if he ever left her, Rose Tyler, again stranded in the middle of literally nowhere, there'd be hell to pay.

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**A/N: Wow, guilt trip you guys a little, and look at the response. Y'all didn't disappoint. Thanks for all those lovelilly reviews!**


	38. Train Track Reunion

**Disclaimer: Whoever gave me this cough should have felt free to give me the Doctor Who rights while they were at it.**

**A/N: Eleven/Rose. Post Doomsday, totally ignoring the fourth series, not that I didn't love it, but ignoring it's convenient for me right now. While I'm at it, I'd like to personally thank **_Lazari, Jecir, Gotta Dance 88, northerngrunge _**and the ever lovely **_Francesca Montag _**for reading and reviewing last chappie. You guys are the ones who keep me inspired to keep writing. So gracias, this one's for you.**

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**Train Track Reunion**

It all started with a letter. The letter B, actually. Train B to be precise. Rose was waiting for it to pass so she could cross the railroad tracks. She cursed under her breath as she looked at her watch and tapped her foot. If only Tony hadn't thrown that temper tantrum before she'd left, she'd have been three minutes earlier, time enough to beat the train across the tracks. She sighed with impatience, remembering the days it'd have taken her mere moments to travel halfway across the universe. Now she couldn't even clear a bloody track.

She zoned out, her eyes unfocused on the cars as they passed fast enough to be dangerous but slow enough to try her patience. That's when the gaps between cars began to play tricks on her eyes. She had a view of the other side of the tracks for two seconds between cars, and in that tiny bit of time, she thought she'd seen one of the most familiar sights in her life. When the next car passed, she thought she saw it again, only clearer. After the third car, there was only the slightest bit of doubt that a blue police box was materializing not twenty yards away.

When the fourth car passed, she gave a cry. The TARDIS _was _there. She didn't know what it meant or what exactly she was going to do about it. All she knew was she _had _to get to the other side and what mattered even more was that she couldn't because the bloody B Train was blocking her path. The fifth car passed and she could see the door had opened. She held her breath so hard as the sixth car passed that it was actually painful. She forgot to breathe in the two seconds before the seventh car began to go by. There was a man in a suit. It wasn't the suit she remembered, but that didn't matter. She caught the tiniest glimpse again to see that it definitely wasn't the same face she remembered, but that mattered even less.

As the eighth car went by, the glimpse she caught made her heart drop. There was someone else, a girl. The ninth car passed, and the girl clearly became a young redhead. The tenth car, and they were closing the door. Rose realized she had to do something or risk losing the most important thing in her life…_again_. She'd lost count of how many times it had happened already and couldn't bear the thought of it occurring one more time.

She couldn't exactly throw herself over the tracks to get to him. Oh, that'd get his attention sure enough, but she'd be flattened like a pancake, and he'd have to scrape her from the street just to say hello. So she prayed her practice yelling at Tony was about to pay off. "Doctor!" She let go as loud as she could. Between two cars, she could see they were still walking away, their backs turned. She tried again, even louder this time, with everything she could muster. "Doctor!!!" The next gap showed that they'd stopped. The next image was that much more brilliant. He'd turned. She shouted his name again, and this time he was definitely approaching the train.

When their eyes met, she couldn't even begin to describe the feelings that bubbled in her brain, in her heart. Oh, he was so different, but he was so _him_. An unfamiliar but beautiful smile grew across his features. "Rose!" He mouthed because she couldn't hear him over the din of the train. He looked desperately down the tracks one way, then the other. The train stretch endlessly in both directions. His gaze reflected her own desperation back at her. He began pacing sideways, gauging the gaps, it seemed.

She half laughed, half sobbed, shaking her head. "No, Doctor, don't." But he couldn't hear her. She stopped laughing when she saw, between cars, how close he was getting to the moving locomotive. "Stop!" She burst out. It'd be just like fate to treat her to something so mind blowingly unbelievable before taking it away. "No," she cried when he leaped. She lost sight of him and was positive he'd been barreled over by the bloody inconvenient Train B. She began to cry.

The train kept moving but suddenly, someone was flying off the train at least twenty yards away. Someone in a brown suit. That someone hit the ground rolling but was up on his feet moments later. He didn't take even a second to brush himself as he rushed her way. It took her a millisecond to realize he'd made it. Impossibly, he'd survived, hadn't been crushed flat by the train. And she was running, arms and legs flailing wildly as she made her way to him. Seconds later, she was caught in a tight, unfamiliar embrace. But it didn't matter because she knew him better than she knew herself, even if she'd never seen him like this before.

Her face was buried hard in his shoulder, and his hands were desperately feeling through her hair, her neck, her shoulders, her back, checking to make sure she was real and not just the best hallucination of his nearly 1000 years. Suddenly, she pulled back and smacked him.

"Ow," he said in a voice she didn't know but loved dearly. "What was that for?"

She smacked him again, crying hard now. "You could have bloody waited, you stupid f-."

He caught her hand gently and cradled it to his chest before she could smack him again. "Rose."

Her breath caught at the way he caressed her name with that voice. She snapped out of the reverie, angry still. "You could have been flattened. You could have waited!" She cried again.

He had her other hand to his chest now, and he was looking straight down into her eyes with dark brown intense new eyes of his own. "Rose," he said, interrupting her again. "No, I couldn't have."

She faltered. "Wha-. You couldn't have what?" She asked, out of breath from running, from yelling, from crying, from missing him so deeply she'd only just gotten half her broken heart back.

He smiled, and it too was new and unfamiliar but brilliant. Like everything him. "The only thing that would have killed me would have been waiting one more second."

* * *

When the bloody train was finally out of the way, Amy stood crossly, hands on her hips, glaring across the tracks at the stupid, stupid brilliant man who stood grinning at her stupidly. She didn't even care that he was clasping hands with a blond woman she'd never seen before looking like he'd just won the lottery. "You. Bloody. Idiot!" She growled. "Do you have any idea what I've just been through?! I thought you were dead!"

The idiotic grin on his face began to falter but a squeeze from the hand clasped in his brought it back tenfold. "I'm sorry, Amy. So, so, so sorry. Really, truly sorry. But, look what I found." He held up their intertwined hands, and she finally concentrated on the blond who was gazing at her curiously.

"Hello," the woman said cheerily through tears. "I'm Rose." She stepped forward when the Doctor tugged her back suddenly.

His hand wound around her waist. "Where do you think you're going?" The panic in his tone surprised Amy, and she let go of enough of her anger to try to contemplate the situation and what she was missing.

If he'd talked to her like that, Amy would have looked at him like he was stupid before removing his arm from her waist. But the blond woman didn't look like she'd be doing the like anytime soon. Instead, she moved towards him. "Just sayin' hello," she murmured softly.

"Hello," he grinned down softly.

Amy felt uncomfortable suddenly, watching them. But the moment passed, and the Doctor was stepping forwards, introducing them. That night, in the TARDIS, Amy learned a great deal. She listened intently to one of the greatest stories she'd ever heard. And she learned much more about the Doctor than she'd ever known before. She came to understand where he went in his head during his quietist moments. She came to understand who he was really looking at when his eyes were on her without seeing her. Most of all, though, she learned just how fleeting everything, especially the people and the things you loved, could be. And she grew glad that the number of TARDIS occupants had grown by one in a matter of hours because it just might mean that no one, not even the amazing, wonderful, brilliant Doctor, ever really had to be alone.


	39. Through the Eyes of a Best Mate

**Disclaimer: I own the right to let you know that I do not own the rights to Doctor Who.**

**A/N: Nine/Rose. Set any time after "World War III" and before "Empty Child". Introduces a character we heard a lot about and never met, which is such a shame, because as you're going to read, it might have been nice to see those two through someone else's eyes. Sorry it's been so long since I last updated, so here's your reward for being so patient. Enjoy!**

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**Through the Eyes of a Best Mate**

Shareen leaned heavily on the windowsill, chin in her hands. She was so bored, she'd taken to gazing out the window at the empty Powell Estate. Even blocking out Jackie's chatter as she made them tea had lost its fun. She perked up when the building's doors swung open. She hoped it was Mr. and Mrs. Again from below. Their spats were always entertaining. But, no…she started pouting again. Just another couple looking too happy.

They made her feel lonely until the woman tucked her hair back, and Shareen realized she knew her. Rose Tyler, her best mate in the whole world. She was back. Happiness bubbled in her, spilling over into a wide grin. And she was holding hands with a man. Holding hands with an older man. A tall, dark, mysterious stranger with an affinity for leather. Shareen giggled and jumped excitedly to her feet.

"You didn't tell me she was seeing someone," Shareen shouted as she rushed past the kitchen. She shot out the front door and down the hallway. At the top of the stairs, she could hear ascending footsteps and voices arguing. She listened.

"No way," Rose was laughing. "I saved you this time."

Hearing her best friend's voice triggered something akin to impatience in Shareen, and she galloped down the stairs, meeting the couple two landings down. She launched herself at a startled Rose. It took her friend a moment to recover before she was hugging her back.

"Shareen." Completely surprised.

"Where've you been?" Shareen was surprised to hear tears in her voice. She'd really missed Rose.

"Travelin'. Just travelin'." Rose's voice was muffled, but Shareen could hear she wasn't the only one crying.

They stood there a minute until someone cleared his throat. Oh, right, the new man, she'd forgotten. Shareen pulled back and wiped her red eyes just as Rose did. "You've got so much to tell me," she chided, eyeing the big-eared leather fellow.

Rose chuckled. "Not as much as you think," Rose retorted. She turned towards the man. "Doctor," she began. "This is my best mate, Shareen."

"Charmed." He reached a hand out to her.

"Shareen, this is my-." She paused, and Shareen threw her a suggestive glance. "This is the Doctor," Rose decided on.

Shareen's eyebrows rose as he returned his shake. "Oh yeah?" Doctor of what?"

His brow had the audacity to furrow, and he cleared his throat.

"Well, of…Of …Well," Rose was stuttering.

"Well," he paused. "Of everything." He answered as if he'd only come to the conclusion.

"Right," Shareen was skeptical. She linked her arm through Rose's, and they trekked upstairs.

Jackie was waiting for them at the door to the flat. "You're back!" Sharen had to duck out of the way to avoid getting slapped when Jackie's arm swung around Rose to envelop her in a hug.

"Hi Mum." Rose was bemused.

"And you!" Jackie then surprised Shareen immensely when she threw her arms around the protesting mystery doctor.

He patted himself off indignantly when an oblivious Jackie finally let go. "Come on, come in," she tutted. "We've got tea on and everythin', don' we, Shareen?"

"Don't we just?" Shareen smiled amusedly when Jackie took the man by the elbow and practically dragged him to the couch.

Rose was right on their tails when Shareen pulled her back. "We'll get the tea, Jacks." Shareen shouted over her shoulder as she dragged a protesting Rose with her to the kitchen. Looking back, she saw the man was looking straight at Rose with pleading eyes, as if begging not to be left alone with Jackie. Rose's eyes were apologetic, but they didn't leave his until they were out of sight. Shareen mentally shook her head.

As Rose poured the kettle water into four tea cups, Shareen spoke as she took out the milk and sugar. "All right. Spit it out already." Rose gave her a confused glance. Shareen rolled her eyes. "Who is he? How'd you meet him? What's he like? Tell me everything."

"Well," Rose began slowly. "We met at Henrik's. Remember the night it exploded?"

Shareen nodded.

Rose smiled absently, but brightly. "He saved my life." Shareen nearly swooned at the bright look in Rose's eyes she'd never seen there before. "I've been travellin' with him ever since."

"And a Doctor no less." Shareen giggled. "Get you, tiger." She began to pour the milk.

"Oh." Rose said suddenly. "He takes his wif' a bit of milk, two sugars."

Shareen wiggled her eyebrows. "I bet he does."

Rose looked up sharply at her tone.

"What kind of kisser is he?" Shareen asked excitedly. "A two? A three? Oh, don't tell me a one."

Rose was suddenly blushing furiously. "No, wait, wait, wait, wait, it isn't like that."

Shareen's thoughts came to a screeching halt. "Like what? So he's a four. Big deal. Just needs practice."

Rose rested her forehead in her palm. "No, I mean, it's not like that. At all." She emphasized with her hands. "He and I…we're not…we're not. We're just friends."

Shareen could have won the award just then for most unbelieving scoff of the century. "Come off it, Rose. You're my best mate. I can tell when you're completely bonkers for a guy."

Rose's smile was beginning to get on Shareen's nerves, like she was a naïve little kid who knew nothing about the world when clearly Rose was the one so out of it. Rose laughed now. "I swear it, Shareen, we're not datin'. We just travel together, that's all. As friends," she emphasized.

"Doesn't look like travelin'."

Rose rolled here eyes again, picking up the tea tray. "It's really, really not like that."

Shareen watched her friend leave the kitchen smiling and shaking her head. She was on a mission now. She was determined to get the details. Thinking through it, the look on her friend's face, she would have begun to believe Rose had she not walked into the living room to see Rose passing the tea out, then heading to the arm chair when the Doctor's arm shot out, took Rose's hand and pulled her to sit beside him. Shareen blinked. True, this move separated the Doctor from Jackie who'd been inching forward but _friends _didn't usually have to sit so close. Shareen hid a smile and took her chair, cradling her tea. And she watched.

"And so I say to Andy, I tell him that you could probably help him with the problem," Jackie was rattling off about her new boyfriend, apparently a physics professor at some university.

"I'm sure I could," the Doctor said in an arrogant tone, or maybe she was being harsh. The thought surprised her. Was she subconsciously railing against the man for taking her best friend away, boyfriend or not?

Jackie had jumped up to fetch some papers. When she was out of sight, the man began to stand. "Right, been here long enough."

Rose laughed and pulled him back down by the arm. Her hand stayed where it was, Shareen noted. "Not yet, and that's an order." Another laugh, but he looked like he'd do anything she told him to.

"So how long have you two known each other?" Shareen asked, leaning forward.

"Um," Rose seemed to genuinely be thinking. She turned to him for help.

"Seven months, two weeks and three days." He told Shareen cheekily.

She stuck her tongue out at Rose, but Rose wasn't paying attention. "Really? 's been that long?"

"Time just flies, doesn't it?"

They shared a smile that hid some secret, and Shareen couldn't help but feel that little twinge of jealous when you learn your best friend might just not be _your_best friend anymore.

Rose blinked, shaking her head, finally taking her hand off his to reach for her tea. "So what've you been up to?"

"Oh, no." Shareen shook her head. "Nothing interesting. I want to know all about you two." The Doctor didn't seem to catch the tone of her voice the way Rose did. "Where've you been travelling?"

"Oh, all over!" Rose answered happily. There was that secret smile again.

"You name it," he spoke up. "Cardiff, Utah, Greece."

Shareen was genuinely impressed. She met Rose's gaze and smiled sadly. "We always said we were going to get out of here. Travel the world. So many different plans. Glad one of us did."

"Yeah," Rose said wistfully. "We were always comin' up with crazy schemes to get away."

"Bet you didn't bank on this one." The Doctor's murmured with a smile that disappeared when Jackie shoved a fistful of papers in front of his nose, giving Shareen no time to ask what he'd meant.

"Well?" Jackie demanded.

"Kid's play," scoffed the Doctor. He handed Rose his tea and started right in scribbling with a pen.

Rose inched her way off the couch and joined Shareen, sitting on the chair arm. She looked a bit downcast. She stared at her nails. "I'm sorry I haven't been around lately."

Shareen forgot all about her questions and leaned her head against Rose's shoulder. "Don't you dare. I'm fine. Don't apologize to me cos' you're happy."

Rose smiled, tongue between her teeth, then nudged Shareen's leg. "Really, though, what are you up to?"

Shareen looked down, embarrassed now. "Don't laugh," she warned Rose.

"Never," and she almost sounded serious.

"I'm back at school." There was a pause during which Shareen flinched.

Rose threw her arms around Shareen's neck happily. "What are you so ashamed of? That's perfect."

"You think?"

"Well, one of us has got to be clever, and it's not going to be me."

Shareen tsked. "There are different kinds of clever, Rose." A glance up, and she saw the Doctor was staring into space. Clearly he was working on calculations in his head, but she followed his gaze directly to Rose. "Rose, be honest now," she told her friend in hushed tones, so only the two of them could hear. "You two, what are you?"

"Friends," Rose answered again, and there was no doubt in her voice.

Shareen gasped suddenly.

"What?" Rose demanded.

"Oh my God. You don't know. You really don't know."

"Know what?" Rose was dumbfounded by Shareen's sudden change in composure.

"You're completely oblivious, the both of ya."

"To what?" Rose asked in annoyance.

"You're both completely bonkers over each other, and you don' even know it."

"Thas' it." Rose stood and grabbed Shareen's hand and dragged her over to her room. The Doctor's eyes followed them curiously, and Shareen had the faintest suspicion he'd heard their entire conversation. Rose must have thought so too, for she closed the door and dragged Shareen across the room to the corner by the closet. She dropped her hand but clenched her shoulders.

Speaking in a furious whisper, Rose said, "For the last time, Shareen, he and I…we're. Not. A. Couple."

Shareen looked at Rose's grip on her shoulder. "I know," speaking as if Rose was dense. "But you don't."

Rose's arms dropped to her side in defeat. "What?"

"No, maybe you're not a couple, but," Shareen paused dramatically. "Maybe you don't realize it, but it doesn't mean it's not there."

"What is?"

"Oh, don't be so stupid." For the first time, Shareen sounded cross. "You two…you're completely mental for each other, and you've got no clue."

Rose was exasperated. "But I'm tellin' ya, it's not like that. It's different. I don't see the Doctor that way…romantically." She seemed hesitant of using the word. "It's nothin' like it was wif' Jimmy."

Shareen's turn to scoff, hands at her forehead. "Course it isn't, Rose. That _boy _had no sense of what it means to be romantic. Being in love…he didn't know a thing about it. Its' not about datin' and sex and makin' your girlfriend work to bring in the money because you're too lazy." Shareen's voice had risen at this point, and Rose looked almost shocked. Shareen had never expressed this before about Jimmy.

"It's about being there for each other. It's about holding hands. It's about being incapable of not smiling when you think of 'im. It's about loving to be with someone so much that you'll leave your entire life behind, mum, best friend, boyfriend, just to stay with them." Shareen blinked back tears.

Rose was looking sorry but stubborn still. "I said I'm sorry, Shareen, and I really am, but it does'' mean I'm going to amuse you on this. It's like you said…I've got a boyfriend, and his name is Mickey."

"What's in a bloody name, Rose?" Shareen exclaimed. "You might call Mickey your boyfriend, but you don't half smile at him the way you do Mister." She gestured towards the hallway. "And you two might be 'just friends' but no one ever said you couldn't be in love with a friend. Tell me none of that's true…what I said about being in love…tell me none of it's true, and I'll leave it alone.

Rose pursed her lips stubbornly.

"Well?" Shareen crossed her arms.

"It's different." Rose argued.

Shareen sighed. "In what way?"

Rose sat down defeatedly on the edge of her bed. "Because…he's _not _my boyfriend. He's.." She seemed to be thinking of the right words. "He's so much more than that."

Shareen sat down heavily beside her. "Whoa." She let out a long breath. "Wasn't so hard, was it?"

Rose crossed her arms. "You're still wrong."

"Oh, shut up." Shareen snorted and rested her head on Rose's shoulder. "Sorry for giving you a hard time. It's just…You're so happy. I don't want you to lose whoever it is what makes you smile so much."

"Yeah," Rose murmured distantly as she gazed blankly at the wall.

Later, they were watching the telly, the news to be specific, and nothing was really happening. At least not out in the world. Here, in the tiny little flat, Shareen was learning a lot about somebody who she'd thought she'd known everything about, her best friend.

Rose was sitting close to the Doctor on the couch, her legs crossed and her head resting tiredly against his shoulder. His hand rested casually on her thigh. Shareen was amazed. Here they were doing things only couples did, and they were completely oblivious. They didn't seem to get that only lovers should gravitate towards each other the way they did; whenever she leaned away just a tad, he moved his entire body subconsciously in the same direction. When they weren't close, their eyes sought each other out. Even Mickey, who'd arrived awhile ago, seemed unconcerned, used to it, as if iti _should _be the stranger absently stroking Rose's hair, as if Rose _should _be lacing her fingers so intimately with the Doctor's.

'Oh well,' Shareen thought sadly. 'They're madly in love, and everyone knows it but them. Poor things'll probably be the last to know. Just hope it's not too late when they do.'

* * *

The Doctor knew Rose was asleep against him. He also knew she shouldn't be because she should be in Mickey's arms, not his. But how could he care when it felt so right? He knew he shouldn't be the one to lift her gingerly and carry her to her bed, but he did it anyway. And as he did, he saw the knowing and accusing look in the friend's eyes. Shareen, wasn't that her name? Yeah, that was it. Shareen. He wanted to tell Shareen that she was right. Absolutely and irrevocably. Instead, he turned around and walked away. He'd wait for Rose in the TARDIS. No matter how long it took her.


	40. I Was Testing You

**Disclaimer: All I want for Christmas…are the rights to DW. And a car.**

**A/N: So, I've finally finished finals. Yay for that. Sorry for taking such an unholy time in updating. It was school, but now that that's over, I can get back to what really matters: FanFiction. Ha! Hope you enjoy the following. Set during/after "The End of the World."**

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**I Was Testing You**

It was a good question. Brilliant, actually, if you really thought about it. Why _had _he taken her to the destruction of her planet, of everything she knew and loved? Her people were all gone. She truly had been the last human, last of her kind, in those few hours. He could pretend. Act innocent, as if he hadn't always had an ulterior motive. As if he hadn't know exactly what he'd been doing when he did it. Except he had.

He'd known exactly what he'd been thinking when he'd asked her where she wanted to go first. She'd poked fun at him, so he forgot 100…1000 years in the future. And, instead, he took her to the end. Or at least what she would consider the end. He took her to the end of the world as she knew it. He let her feel what it was like to be alone, to be the very last of her kind.

But why? First trip in the TARDIS with this brilliant, brilliant girl, and he took her to see horror and destruction when there were all these fantastic places in the universe to show her. But, just by asking, he was fooling himself again. Because he knew the answer.

He'd taken her to the end of the world because he'd wanted to test her. She'd proven herself to him once already. He didn't ask just anyone on board his ship. She'd saved him and, in the process, she'd saved the world. No, she wasn't ordinary. Not in the least. But he had to know just how extraordinary she really was. And there was only one way to find this out.

So he'd tested her. He'd put her into his shoes. He'd lost his planet and his people, everything _he _had known and loved. It had been her turn. He'd known at the time that it was wrong, that he shouldn't have, that she was too young to go through what he'd gone through. But he hadn't been able to help himself. He'd had a need to see what she could do, what she was capable of. And, oh, she hadn't disappointed him.

Sure, she'd whined a bit. Complained some here and there. But, in the end, she'd stood at that window, eyes glazed over watching her planet fade into atoms. And she hadn't been thinking about herself. Didn't even seem to care she'd almost burned to death mere minutes ago. Because the world had gone, and no one had been watching, and somehow that mattered more.

When he'd asked for her hand, then, he knew. He knew he hadn't made a mistake. In fact, asking Rose Tyler to travel with him might have been one of the best decisions he'd ever made. So, he took her hand and walked her back to the TARDIS. The look on her face echoed his own so well, he'd found himself with the sudden and overwhelming need of stealing it away and replacing it with the smile she'd had before he destroyed her world. There was no reason the two of them had to suffer. He was in misery enough for them both. Besides, it didn't seem right until Rose was smiling.

So he'd taken it away, everything she knew, and then he'd given it back tenfold. He showed her the end, so when she went back to the beginning, she'd know what it was she was living for.


	41. Verité

**Disclaimer: I now own red Chucks, which is the path to owning DW rights, didn't you know?!**

**A/N: Takes place…well almost anytime during their travels really. I wrote it with Nine... Just a short bit to keep you guys happy. The title stands for 'truth' in French…because I think that's really what this short, short chapter is all about.**

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**Verité**

"We can't keep travelling together, Rose."

There. He'd said the words she'd been dreading, that shattered her heart into a million irretrievable pieces.

Miraculously, the betrayal she felt at his words didn't cross her face. She feigned ignorance without meeting his eyes because when he looked into hers, he could tell exactly what she was thinking.

"Well, I'd be lonely in the TARDIS without you," she joked, trying at nonchalance, praying he'd been playing a cruel, cruel joke on her.

"I'm serious." His voice bit, and she fought the urge to look at him, and lost. His blue eyes were blazing flames of pain and guilt. "Because, if we get into one more battle where it's your life or theirs, you or the Earth, I won't hesitate even a second."

She swallowed hard, not sure where this was going, though she had a feeling. She opened her mouth to stop him from going, but he was too fast.

"It's always going to be you."

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**A/N: Don't want to apologize for the length though…just because it's perfect this way. I think. Why don't you let me know what YOU think in a review? **


	42. Last Chances

**Disclaimer: Tell them I said something clever here. Because I'm too sad to come up with my own.**

**A/N: WARNING!!! CONTAINS SPOILERS! For End of Time Part II. On an interesting side note, I wrote this before I actually watched the episode, so if it's off on certain minor details (which it is, as I've now seen it) just ignore that and appreciate the underlying message. I didn't want to post it until I was sure most everyone had already seen it...to decrease spoilage. On a sadder note, I can't believe he's gone. Literally. I refuse.**

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**Last Chances**

Where had he left the TARDIS? Where had he left the TARDIS? Where had he left the TARDIS? Where? Where? Where? Where had he left her? He had to find her before it was too late. He could feel the change coming. Oh, but it was more than change, wasn't it? It was more than a whole new beginning. Because there had to be an end first. He had to die before he could be reborn. The pain. The pain. The pain. He fell to one knee with a loud groan, clutching at his chest. Not that it hurt there because it hurt everywhere. Taking deep, suffering breaths, he finally managed to take in his surroundings. He was kneeling on a deserted London street. Alone.

He laughed humorlessly and then doubled over in agony. The pain. The pain. The pain. He stumbled to his feet. He had to find her, had to find the TARDIS, had to get away. He hobbled towards the sidewalk. A fast approaching car swerved to avoid him, honking. A rude shout came from inside it as it departed. Clutching at his clothing, taking ragged breaths, the Time Lord stumbled towards the crumbling building wall to lean against it.

Oh the times when he'd had others to lean on. No more. He was alone now. Alone. Alone. Alone. Fire shot through him, and he almost yelled out from the burn. His bloodshot eyes opened suddenly. No. Not here. He wanted to be home. He took one painful, unbalanced step forward, then another. He'd been traveling for over nine hundred years, but there was one place he had always been able to call home, and he wanted to be there when the last tendrils of this life faded away.

He turned the corner, able to walk stably enough without clutching the walls. He stumbled across the street. Alongside him, a mother with her stroller hurried away, throwing bewildered glares his way. He took another ragged breath. Almost there. Almost there. He could feel his trusty time machine calling out to him. His shoe hit the pavement and an onslaught of images hit his head like a hammer.

Memories. Memories in this body. Pain. Misery. Loneliness. Happiness too, but all the sadder for the loss. Constant loss. He clutched his head, willing them to go away. Faces flashed past and he fell against the nearest wall, breathing hard. No. That wasn't his stop. He had to keep going. He struggled on. Another onslaught of images and pain forced him to stumble. He would have fallen when an arm shot out and caught him, pulled him back, steadied him. He blinked. His vision cleared. And suddenly, a painful image became blessed reality.

"You alright there, mate?" Angelic. Her voice was so incredibly angelic. Maybe not on its own. But she made it so. Wait. He managed to ignore the searing pain coursing through him long enough to realize something was off. She didn't know him. The irony. A laugh wound its way to his throat, but he forced it back not wanting to scare her.

His palm found her elbow. He used her to steady himself. She still had one arm around his waist. She was looking at him with worry. Genuine worry. She bit her lip, her eyes searching his face for a sign.

"What year is it?" He gasped.

Her eyebrows furrowed. Whatever she'd been expecting, it hadn't been that. "New Year's Day. 2005." She smiled suddenly in understanding and nudged his hip with hers. Just like in the old days. "Bit late to be celebrating isn't it?"

"2005?" He smiled suddenly. "You're going to have a very good year."

She smiled back. "What makes you say so?"

"Trust me."

"A stranger?" Her arm began withdrawing from around him.

"We're all strangers in the beginning. And I'm not drunk."

"Sure, mate." Her tongue peeked out from between her teeth teasingly.

"I'm not-." He stopped arguing. Pain blasted through his head, and he clutched at it suddenly, startling her. Her hold on him tightened once again when he suddenly leaned away, groaning. "Go. I've got to go." He murmured through clenched teeth.

As he stumbled away, a hand caught his, and he looked back at her beautifully worried brow. "You gonna be alright?"

His breath caught, and his eyes traveled down to their clasped hands. His eyes met hers again. "Yes, I think so. But you, you're going to be brilliant." And he gave her one last dazzling smile. Her sweet smile in return as she let go of his hand was heartbreaking.

He made it at least five feet away before pausing. He closed his eyes in frustration and then turned back around with a groan of annoyance. He'd managed to ignore the pain for a minute; he could do it for a minute more. Besides, if anything could kill the pain, it was her. She was standing there still, looking after him, unsure, hands buried in her jacket. Her head tilted in question as he took the few steps back towards her.

His hands moved slowly towards her face. "I know what this looks like, and I'm not crazy. I promise. Not drunk either." His voice came down in tone. As his hands came up to cup her face, she looked curious but not frightened. She didn't move away. "I just…believe in last chances."

And he brought his face down to hers until their lips were hovering inches apart. He gave her a chance to pull back, to move away, but she didn't. She held perfectly still, her eyes half closed. So he kissed her.

He'd been right after all. Rose was his painkiller. More than that, she was like ecstasy. She took the pain far, far away and replaced it with something eternally sweeter. Her lips were unresponsive at first, but as he poured into the kiss everything she'd made him feel over the last and next few years, her lips began to move with his, tenuously at first until she seemed to feel what he did, what she would be feeling soon enough. She broke the kiss off, but she didn't move away. Eyes closed, their lips were still barely touching. He felt it when she smiled.

"I'm sorry." He whispered against her lips.

She let out a breathy sigh. "Don't be. I believe in last chances now too."

He smiled, ignoring the fast approaching pain. "Happy New Years."

"Happy New Years." She whispered back. She didn't open her eyes again as he turned and continued on his way.

As he hurried towards the next street corner, he heard a familiar shrilly voice. "What was that about then?" Jackie Tyler scolded her daughter.

The responding laugh gave him the strength to continue until the blessed blue doors were in sight. His hands shook as he fit the key into the lock, but he didn't fall again, didn't cry out. So, he would be alone when he died. The pain wouldn't stop until it was over. But he would be home, and his memories would keep him company. The door squeaked as it closed behind him.

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**A/N: Also, this chapter is dedicated to NewDrWhoFan for her lovely and numerous reviews. Thankles so muchles! This chapter is also dedicated to David! *sob* We will miss you! Hope y'all enjoyed reading this through your tears. **


	43. Chance Meetings

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own the rights to Doctor Who, but I just got owned by it.**

**A/N: Set before/during "Rose." Enjoy. Also, thanks to my anonymous reviewers (since I can't thank you with a reply): Jecir and Bayseaside and Idiot Jello. Also Kirsten. Thanks all; if your reviews were signed, I'd send individual replies. But who's complaining? Not me, I will tell you. Right…allons-y!**

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**Chance Meetings**

Rose Tyler was on what had to have been her twentieth sweater when Henrik's first customer of the day happened to pass by. "G'morning," Rose chimed.

The ginger woman snorted. "It is for some. Not that chipper when you've been booted from a great job."

Rose smiled sympathetically. "I wouldn't know anythin' about great jobs." She gestured around at the department store.

The woman, much to Rose's disappointment, picked up one of her perfectly folded sweaters to examine it. In her experience, the women who shopped here managed to put out of place a hundred more clothes items than they actually ended up buying. Far be it from them to lift a finger putting things back. "Can't be that bad," the woman pursed her lips. "Discounts?" She looked up with a half smile.

"There's always a bright side." Rose had finished the last stack of sweaters. "Is there anything you're looking for in particular?"

To her immense surprise, the woman folded the plaid sweater back into perfect shape and placed it on top of its proper pile. "You wouldn't happen to know where I could find the perfect man, handsome, quiet, agreeable. Would you?"

Rose chuckled appreciatively. "No chance. But if you happen to find Mr. Perfect, drop me a line and let me know where, yeah?"

The woman laughed warmly. "Oh, I will." She held her hand out. "Donna, and I'm sorry to say I probably won't be buying anything what with it being my last check and all."

"Rose, and I don't blame you. Prices across the road tend to be more decent, but you didn't hear that from me."

Donna mimicked a zipper across her lips. "Well, I'd best be going. The sooner I get home, the sooner my mum can start getting over her disappointment."

Rose hummed in sympathy. "I know exactly how you feel."

Donna, who had been turning to leave, paused, her lips pursed in thought. "Still, there's always the future to look forward to, isn't there? They can't be disappointed in us forever."

Rose nodded to be polite, but she couldn't see any truth to the words. "Well," Rose stated as she started on a rack of skirts. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

"You too." Donna smiled sweetly. "It was nice to meet you, Rose." And she turned and left. As she strode down the crowded street, she sighed sadly, failing to take notice of the slightly hidden, dark blue police box.


	44. Promise

**Disclaimer: Don't believe everything you read. I own Doctor Who. I warned you. But I don't, really. Unless I do. **

**A/N: Girl in the Fireplace. Why did the Doctor really go through the window? Here's just one among many possibilities that make me feel much, much better about the whole thing. Saw it last night and realized Rose was much more sympathetic with Reinette than I'd first thought. Here's what I made of it. Also, thanks again to Jecir and Kirsten for reviewing (since I can't send review replies.) :-)**

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**Promise**

Rose watched him. She tried not to, but she couldn't help it. She watched as he continued pushing buttons and flipping switches and taking readings. He didn't give up, him. Even though it was completely hopeless. His face said it all. She didn't have to ask to know. She hardly had to ask lately to know exactly what was going on behind those ancient eyes of his. So, there was no nope. The only way to save Madame de Pompadour, Reinette, was to go through that glass window.

He caught her staring. He looked straight into her eyes. She gazed back. Intensity crackled like lightning between them.

"Mickey," Rose murmured without looking away. "Could you go check the bedroom? See if she's still there."

"Sure." His voice was laced with confusion as he took in their standoff, but he left without another word.

She saw the moisture forming in the Doctor's eyes but refused to break the stare. His throat bobbed up and down. She'd made her decision. Now all he had to do was follow through.

"Rose," he began, his voice choked.

"You made a promise," she interrupted sternly. She surprised herself with how calm she sounded, though a storm was raging inside of her. "And I made that promise for you."

His eyes were red. "I know."

"You're the only one who can." She murmured, as the screams from below grew louder. She didn't mean he was the only one of them who could accomplish this mission. She was as capable of that. But only he could take the journey that followed. She couldn't live the three thousand years it would take to get back.

"You don't have to do this." He said.

She hadn't blinked. "No, _you_ do. And I'm tellin' you to. You're not the only one who gets to make sacrifices." She chuckled now, no amusement in the sound but a sad smile in her eyes.

A loud neigh from up the corridor broke their concentrations. They both looked in that direction, then back at each other. Her eyes were filled with tears. He now carried a calm composure.

"You come back to me now, you hear? Doesn' matter 'ow long it takes. Just come back."

He opened his mouth to say something and then closed it. But it didn't matter. His eyes said it all. They burned with his unspoken words. "Always." He wanted to say more, she knew. She wanted him to say more. But she knew he couldn't. Instead, he whispered one more word. "Promise." And he turned and swept down the corridor, away from her.

She stood stiffly as he raced by on Arthur, as he left her. The glass shattered. The sound resembled what she'd imagine her heart must have sounded like at that moment. Said heart found its way into her throat. She barely heard Mickey's questions. Why was she so shocked? She'd practically thrown him through the window herself. Was it that he hadn't looked back? No, that couldn't be it. She understood why he didn't. He never did.

The truth was that it was that he'd gone at all. She really hadn't expected him to listen. After all, only one person was at stake, not the whole universe, as was usually the case. Had it been a decision then, Rose versus Reinette? And he'd chosen Reinette? No, that wasn't fair. First, she'd made him go. And second, it would have gone against everything he was, his character, not to go. If there was one concrete, absolute thing the Doctor had taught her, it was sacrifice and how-to. This time, though, it wasn't costing only him, but her too, and his sacrifice had cost her everything. She wondered if he felt the same way and then stopped because she already knew the answer. He'd promised to come back, and she was holding to him to that. She wouldn't move until he returned. Even if that meant he'd have to brush cobwebs from her face when he got there. Because he would get there. Always. And _that's_ why she'd let him go.

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**A/N: ****Let me know what you think. It still feels incomplete to me. Thanks for reading!**


	45. The Necklace

**Disclaimer: I wouldn't know the first thing about buying rights to a show. **

**A/N: Doctor/Rose, obviously. Don't know which Doctor though, so I leave it up to your imagination. Surprisingly not inspired by an actual necklace. Hope you likey enough to review. Hehe, shameless plugging, but what can I say? I'm shameless. Enjoy! **

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**The Necklace**

It is rumored that there exists in the universe a necklace that, if worn, renders absolute and undeniable beauty of the wearer to the eye of the beholder. The necklace was supposed to exist only in myth, but when three strangers walk among myth themselves, fanciful tales such as the one above become true.

The Doctor, Captain Jack Harkness and Rose Tyler were three such strangers. And the necklace happened to fall into their hands during one particular adventure in which the simple existence of the necklace had been the cause of all sorts of havoc on the planet of Poshtaran where sexuality was already exaggerated and didn't need any other sort of boost. Like a necklace that made the wives of world leaders irresistible to other world leaders. Nothing caused a good bit of world chaos like a spurned heart.

Pretending to be a duke and a duchess, the Doctor and Rose had tricked the necklace from the current president of Maselini. Truth be told, it had all been thanks to Jack, especially when it had turned out that the president had been exactly his type. Add the necklace and the man had been a goner.

Now, in their magic machine of time, they were laughing joyfully with their success. They always seemed to be laughing. Jack still wore the necklace under his coat.

"Tell me he's not just gorgeous." Rose crowed at the Doctor.

"Okay, he's not." The Doctor complied, a glint in his eyes.

Rose laughed off what was, unless Time Lords were immune, a lie of his making.

"Where to next? Jack?" The Doctor cheerily changed the subject.

"Oh, anywhere." Jack replied, too happy to care. He slipped the necklace off as the Doctor became distracted with the controls.

Still chuckling, Rose took the necklace into her hands. "It's not even pretty." She murmured in wonder. And it wasn't. Rather unremarkable and plain at that. On a brown leather string was a collection of off-white pebble-like beads and a horn-shaped tooth-type brown stone in the center. "It's ugly actually." Rose and Jack laughed in mirth. "But the things it can do." She murmured in awe when they were through.

Jack knew exactly what it was that she happened to be wondering. His eyes slid to an oblivious Doctor and then back to Rose. A mischievous smile overtook his features. "Well," he muttered as he stood, and plucked the necklace from her fingers, "I'll take that then."

"Good," Rose murmured in disappointment. Behind the jump seat, though, Jack leaned down and clasped the necklace onto Rose. "What are you doing?!" She protested, her hands at the clasp.

He stopped her taking it off and smiled. "Your chance to shine, Rosie. Although," his voice lowered to a whisper, "To me, you already do."

And he shimmied towards the door to watch what transpired. He whistled loudly to capture the Doctor's attention. He succeeded a little too well, causing the Doctor to hit his head as he pulled it out from under the console. "What?" The Doctor asked crossly, rubbing his head.

Jack smiled as the Doctor's eyes fell on a nervous-looking Rose, but his smile quickly transformed into a frown when the Doctor reacted no differently than usual. "What is it?" The Doctor asked.

Fidgeting, Rose spoke with a tremble in her tone. "Oh…Jack. Nothing, just Jack."

The Doctor scoffed good-naturedly. "Should have figured. You alright?" He asked suddenly in concern. Jack winced for Rose. What had he done? Her face had fallen, all hope faded. She was wiping her palms on her knees nervously still.

"N-nothin'." She murmured, attempting to smile and failing miserably. "Just wonderin' about that necklace."

"What about it?" The Doctor looked just the tiniest bit worried at her sudden change in attitude. He placed his tool down and leaned back against the console, crossing his arms.

Rose, her arms wrapped around her center, shrugged. "Just…you know, if it works on you…or whatever."

The Doctor smiled brightly. "That all?" Jack could have smacked him just then.

Rose seemed caught but nodded dimly.

He chuckled. "I was just having Jack on. Time Lords aren't immune. Works on all semi hot-blooded creatures."

"Oh." Rose didn't seem to know what to say. Her cheeks flushed bright red, and her eyes grew moist. She started to stand when the Doctor seemed to notice something was amiss.

'Finally,' Jack thought grimly.

The Doctor sprung forward and grasped her hands. "Now, what's really bothering you?

"Nothin'" Rose muttered. "Just tired."

She tried to pull her hands away, but he wouldn't let her. "Rubbish answer." He murmured, making her sit back down next to him. "I know you way too well, love."

She bit her lip. "Really, it's nothing. Just…stupid. It's not important."

"Nonsense," he interrupted. "If it's got to do with you, it's always important." Jack was about to mentally congratulate the man's suaveness when the blasted alien had to go and open his mouth again. "Well," he dragged out the word. "Except that time you and your mate, Shania, were arguing about makeup. That wasn't so important."

Rose glared. "Shareen." She corrected him icily.

His grin stretched uncertainly. "I know, Rose. That was me…having you on."

Rose sighed. "Can I go to my room now?" She sounded bored, but they all knew she wasn't.

"Tell me what's wrong," he implored softly. "Was it Jack?"

Jack smirked. Rose started now. "No, not him."

"Then it was me." The Doctor seemed happy with the discovery at first, then frowned. "Wait, if it's me, what'd I-." He stopped, his eyes having finally caught sight of the necklace. "Oh." He said. And suddenly it was all so clear. He began to smile brightly again, and he put one fingertip on the stone. "You're wearing the necklace." He said cheerfully like a kid expecting to get rewarded for figuring it out.

"Yeah." She whispered miserably.

His demeanor didn't change at hers though. "And you're upset because I didn't notice a change?" He seemed excited at getting closer to figuring out the riddle that was Rose.

She looked away stubbornly, staring into space and revealing nothing.

"Oh, you are." He almost bounced with mirth. Again, Jack really could have smacked him.

Rose seemed to share the idea. She shoved him away and attempted to leave, but he held onto her. "Let me go." She exclaimed.

"Don't you want to know why?" He murmured softly.

His change in tone stopped her cold. She turned to look at him but shook her head, staying mute.

He continued, smiling softly. "It's because…" Still holding tightly to her hand, he turned in his seat, so she was leaning against his legs, albeit reluctantly. "Nothing happened," he whispered looking down at their hands where he was rubbing the back of her hands with his thumbs. "You didn't change."

She had given up the will to struggle but for words. "Please let me go." She pleaded.

"Almost done." He promised.

"Why are you tellin' me this?" She snapped half heartedly. "Why'd you think I'd wanna know you don't see me that way…that not even a bloody necklace can make you see me the way I see you?"

"And how is that?" He opened his knees and drew her closer until their hands were right at his chest.

She didn't move, but tears sparkled sadly in her eyes. "You're beautiful." She breathed hopelessly and sadly.

His eyes burned at her words with a fire, both happy and intensely sad. "And you think you're not?"

She blinked tears away. "_You_ do." She argued insistently. "The necklace…"

"Yes, the necklace." He interrupted suddenly. "And what does the necklace do, Rose?"

She didn't seem to want to answer, but she soldiered through as if she knew they were getting somewhere. "It makes you see people…beautiful. Like, the most beautiful person you'd ever seen."

"Yes," he whispered and spared her a scientific perception-filter explanation for it. He paused as if waiting for her to come to what he saw as an obvious realization. "Don't you see?" He wanted her to figure this one out. When she couldn't, he seemed sad. "How can you not see yourself the way I do?" He mused sadly. "When you put that necklace on, and I looked at you…I _did_ see the most beautiful person I'd ever seen. In all the universes. But…" He finally looked up from their hands to her eyes. "You didn't change. You looked the same as you always do. Do you get it now?"

Jack smiled. _Oh_.

Rose seemed to take a moment longer. "Oh." And she blushed furiously again but a smile accompanied it slow to grow but wide in the end. "I didn't think…"

"Clearly." The Doctor teased.

"Shut up." But she was smiling, new tears pooling in her eyes.

"I wish you could see yourself the way I see you." He murmured, pulling her closer.

She leaned against him until his head was nestled against her torso. He wrapped his arms around her as hers came up to cradle his head. "And how's that?" She half-whispered.

He waited a minute before leaning back, reaching up and unclasping the necklace. "See, no difference." He smiled and proceeded to clasp the necklace around his neck. He waited a beat while she looked down in amazement. "You?" He asked finally.

She shook her head mutely.

He grinned, pleased. "Good. _That's_ how I see you. Any further questions?"

She grinned. "Yeah. Can we stay like this a bit longer?" She indicated their closeness.

"Oh yes." His voice was muffled against her again. "Just as soon as Jack…comes out of hiding…and minds to his own. Wanna come out already, mate?" The Doctor called.

Jack popped in from the corridor with a cheeky smile. "Do you mean it?"


	46. All I Want for Christmas

**Disclaimer: I went to the store to buy my own DW rights, but they were out. So I joined the wait list. I'm no. 5…thousand. What what. **

**A/N: A little late, a little out of season, but it's all good. Anytime during the second season. And I'd like to dedicate this chapter to **_Jecir _**and her wonderful, wonderful story "His Best Life." Read it; you will not regret it! And thanks to all my readers and reviewers and alerters and favoriters and candlestick makers. You all deserve a *virtual marshmallow*.**

* * *

**All I Want For Christmas…**

"What do you want for Christmas?" The Doctor asked suddenly.

Rose looked up with a start of surprise. He was tinkering with an old-fashioned clock of all things, glasses over his eyes, and tongue between his teeth. She had been painting her big toe on her right foot a bright red. "I-…" She began, then stopped and smiled slyly. "What do you want?"

"No fair," the Doctor complained. "I asked you first."

"Well," she said, sounding as if in deep concentration as she swept the brush over her toe, "if you don't already know, you never will." She finished with a cheeky smile and screwed the lid for the polish back on top.

He stopped, his attention grabbed. "Well- well- what is it?" He fumbled.

"Ah, ah, ah, Doctor. You'll have to figure that out for yourself." And she swept out of the control room to get ready for her mum's annual Christmas party.

"Well, there's never anything I won't ever know," the Doctor reasoned to himself, gesturing emptily at the TARDIS with the screwdriver. "So If I'm going to know it eventually, I have to already know it."

The TARDIS whirred at him in annoyance.

"Well if you already know, then I'm definitely bound to know," he teased. A moment later he fell to the floor as the TARDIS swerved in the Vortex on purpose.

"Ouch."

* * *

"Come in, come in. Hello." Jackie giggled when she opened the door and swept her arm back carelessly. The drink in her plastic cup sloshed dangerously. "Hello darling," she kissed Rose sloppily on the cheek.

"And you." She practically growled. The Doctor suddenly found himself being smothered by a tipsy Jackie. He had to admit that the experience was ten times as scary as any Slitheen.

"Alrigh', mum." Rose chuckled. "That's friendly enough now." And she dragged the Doctor away by the arm and into the living room where she greeted Mickey with a chaste kiss on the cheek.

"Mickey Mick Mic-." The Doctor began cheerfully in greeting.

"Just the man I was looking for. Right," Mickey clapped his hands together. "Help me get the tree in from downstairs then."

The Doctor frowned at Rose who laughed and pushed him towards the door after Mickey. Hands in his pockets, he followed dutifully all the way to the ground floor, thinking pensively.

"Mickey," he began as they lifted the tree precariously. The nomad grunted. The Doctor rolled his eyes but continued. "Is there anything in particular…that you know of…that Rose might possibly want…for Christmas?"

Mickey scoffed. "The guy what spends all his time with the girl is askin' what she wants for Christmas from her…ex?" He ended on a bitter tone.

"Humans and their soap operas. You're missing the bigger picture here, Mick." The Doctor grunted now when Mickey (allegedly on accident) pulled the tree forward too hard causing the Doctor to trip on the stairs.

"Hang on…the bigger picture is what you're gonna get Rose for Christmas?"

The Doctor sighed. "Fine, you're missing the point. What do I get her? There isn't anything she seems to want."

Mickey…there was no better word for it…guffawed. "Yeah, there is one thing…"

"What is it?!" The Doctor almost dropped the tree in his excitement.

Mickey rolled _his _eyes now. "Like you don't know."

"I really don't." The Doctor's eyes widened innocently. "Tell me."

Mickey laughed now. "Well, you'll just have to figure it out yourself, mate." And he would say no more on the subject.

Later, Jackie was forcing the Doctor to help her ice cookies in the kitchen.

"A bracelet?"

"No."

"A kitten?"

"Hardly."

"A bicycle?"

"No, but she did when she was twelve."

"Yeah, I know. A ring?"

Jackie snickered. "Nope, but you're on the right track."

"So it's jewelry." The Doctor smacked his forehead, leaving buttercream frosting there in the process. "A necklace?"

Jackie rolled _her _eyes now. "You are so daft."

"Why?" The Doctor asked defensively.

"It's not jewelry. It's…" She tsked impatiently at him. "You know what it is, you're just being not clever."

"I'm not the one massacring the English language." And he pushed the icing aside and swept out of the kitchen. He sat and watched TV next to Rose, deliberately keeping the commercials on to see if anything caught her fancy.

"What about one of those?" He asked in sudden delight, pointing at the screen.

Rose snickered. "You still trying to figure that out then?"

The Doctor kept silent but gestured again with his finger.

Rose rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue. "No, not that."

Later, they'd said their goodbyes and were entering the TARDIS. All the way from the flat to there, he'd been throwing out random guesses.

"A car?"

"Get me a license first."

"A pen?"

"Do you know how many of those we've got lying around?"

"A puppy?"

She paused and he stopped in possible excitement, but his shoulders drooped when she began shaking her head. "That might be second though."

* * *

It was days later, and they were on Rexicoricofallapatorius. The Doctor had been sentenced to death for public misconduct, as in trying to start a revolution. Rose thought it sounded like him, but she didn't care. She had to save him. So she did. She didn't let go of his hand until they were safely back in the TARDIS and even then, she hovered near him. He sent his beautiful ship into the Vortex and then collapsed exhaustedly against the seat. She fell into him, just wanting to feel with her own body that he still had his, that he was alive. He held her close.

"It's alright." He whispered.

And it was, but there was something she needed him to know. "Doctor?" She looked up almost shyly.

"What is it?" He asked softly, stroking her hair back.

"All I want…for Christmas…"

She didn't have to finish. "Yeah. I know." He wrapped his arms around her tighter and rested his chin on the top of her head. "Me too."


	47. DW in F Sharp

**Disclaimer: If a=my owning DW rights and b=negative my not owning DW rights, and c=a+b, what does c equal? (Also, c=me not owning the rights to any of the following mentioned songs).**

**A/N: My first attempt at something resembling a songfic. There are so many ways to write one that I didn't know which way to take it, so I'm going to try them all, starting with an idea I stole from **_countrygrl_. **By the way, this chapter is dedicated to her; go read her fic "Insomnia." That's an order. Hehe. I just played random songs and wrote what came to mind. No lyrics, just titles and artists. Here is what transpired. I apologize ahead of time.**

* * *

**DW in F Sharp**

_Almost Lover – A Fine Frenzy_

There were so many almost-moments. Too many to count but not enough to leave her without any doubt that they were so much more than they said. It was too bad. All the time they'd had, so many times they could have taken that road. And now it was all for nothing, all too late. Because he was gone, and she was alone. Rose would never see even one of their almost moments transform into reality.

He'd said goodbye. They'd had time. Not a lot but enough to say more than he'd have been able to with no time at all. But it still wasn't enough. Because there hadn't been time to say what really mattered. There hadn't been time to make her understand what she really was to him, what she really meant in his endless life.

They weren't really alone, but they were alone in the one way that mattered. No matter how many people that walked into and out of their lives, no matter how much they both loved some of these people, they'd always be looking for each other. And they'd never find that.

_Greatest Story Ever Told - Oliver James_

If there were anything he ever could have anticipated, it never would have been this. That someone could walk into his life and make of it what Rose had. It had taken time, not a lot, but some for her to steal him away. He was hers in every and any way that mattered. He didn't quite know how it had happened, but it had. One moment, he'd been the Doctor, traveling the universe, saving worlds and sacrificing. The next he'd been defined by what he meant to her. If she told him to stop, he thought he might. He could never explain how it had happened. How she'd taken him away from reality, the world he saw in all its ugly glory, to something far more incredible and beautiful. He'd begun to see everything so much more differently than ever he had before. He already saw through different lenses. And now they were more rose-colored than anything else. And the worst part of it all was that she didn't know.

_Permanent – David Cooke_

She worried about him. The way you worry about a loved one when you know they're off somewhere doing something potentially dangerous. The difference was you got to see them again, got to be relieved to find out they were fine. She could never see him again, and, even worse, could never know. He could be hurt. He could need help, but there was nothing she could do. Who would be there to save him?

He worried about her. There were times that things reminded him of what scared her or made her cry. And he wondered if she'd encounter those things often in her other world. And if she did, who would be beside her to hold her hand or give words of comfort. Who would be there to save her?

* * *

**A/N: Also, I hate to rag, but you should listen to these songs; they're pretty fantastic. Now review! Which was your favorite? Or…whatever? I'm also taking requests for future song chappies. **


	48. Remembering

**Disclaimer: Do I really have to keep reminding everyone?**

**A/N: I guess "End of Time" wasn't done with me, so, just in case, ***WARNING: SPOILERS*** for EoT. Set in Pete's world after JE, Rose/10.5. Set parallel to EoT, pun intended, thank you very much. ****Now oblige me again and, below, begin to engage in the activity of using your eyeballs to look at the pretty letters, otherwise and commonly known as reading.**

* * *

**Remembering**

Rose stood outside, arms crossed tightly across her chest against the cold. She was craning her neck to look up at the sky. She wasn't looking for anything in particular. She was just…gazing. The stars. The moon. They were all beautiful to her. And she should know. She'd seen them up close and personal. The thought made her sigh. Her breath came out in a visible white puff. Snow layered the ground around her and the house standing behind her. Her house. Theirs actually. But she was the only one there to enjoy it. Right then, anyway. And there wasn't much to enjoy when she was alone.

But she wasn't complaining. Not really. She just missed him whenever they were apart. She couldn't help it really. They'd been apart so long that missing him had become a habit. Now that she had him back (forever), she was trying to break that habit. But his being so wonderful made it all the harder.

She heard familiar footsteps suddenly. She didn't turn, but a smile grew on her lips. He cleared his throat. She had to give in. So she did, and her smile miraculously grew at the sight of him. He was grinning too.

"Sorry. I just wanted to see you." He spoke from a few yards away, hands buried in his coat. "That first glimpse always blows me away."

Her throat tightened. She was at a loss for words anyway. She licked her chapped lips and regained her composure. "Happy New Years." She smiled almost shyly. Their first holiday together. In the parallel universe at least.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Happy New Years."

A shudder passed through her. "Déjà vu." She murmured.

His brow furrowed. "What's that?"

She shook her head, frowning. "It's like…It's like we've done this before. Just like this. Wait." She held a hand out when he moved to step forward. He froze. She took the scene around her in intensely, then shut her eyes tightly and her fingers at her temples. "I've been here before." She murmured to herself. "Or somewhere like it. You were there. And I was here. And it was New Year's."

He scratched the back of his neck. "It's just a feeling though…déjà vu. Could have been a dream."

"You're going to have a great year." She recited.

"What?"

"You said…you told me that…on New Year's. Or he did…someone."

"That's impossible," the Doctor reasoned. "We've never spent a New Year's together before. Not on Earth anyway."

Rose's eyes opened with a gasp. "The year we met. 2005. You came to me. And you…you were watching me from the shadows. And you were…hurt." Her smile faded. "Why were you hurt?"

He was in front of her now, his hands sliding up her arms comfortingly. "Rose, I don't know what you're talking about. I never went back then."

"No but you did. After you'd changed. And I thought you'd been drinking and I said happy New Year's…It was before I met you, and you asked me what year…it was you, wasn't it?" She was confused now.

But realization was dawning in his yes. He murmured in a low tone now. "Why did you think I was drunk?"

Her eyes searched his face for an answer. She replied slowly. "I only noticed you…him...because it was like…you sounded hurt. And when I looked…it was like…you were in pain."

"I was saying goodbye." He realized, closing his eyes.

"What?" Rose asked urgently. "What are you talkin' about, Doctor?"

"He, I mean. He was saying goodbye."

A beat passed and then tears filled her eyes as the truth dawned on her as well now. "It wasn't you." She breathed.

"It wasn't me." He confirmed. He leaned down to rest his forehead against hers as she closed her eyes to tears.

"He said goodbye," she whispered, a tiny smile taking place on her lips. "Will he be okay?" She asked suddenly, looking up into his eyes.

"Always." He smiled.

* * *

**This chappie is dedicated to the ever lovely** _Francesca Montag_**, who just in case you didn't know has a new story up called "**When You Can**" that you must read...when you can (hehe, I'm on a roll tonight)...because it is…simply amazing. Thanks also to all my loyal readers: over 300 reviews and 50 favorites and alerts; you guys are awesome and the reason that wonderful things exist. Like chocolate, for example.**


	49. Mood Ring II

**A/N: 9/Rose. Set anytime during the first series. And, of course, a follow up to Chapter 30: Mood Ring. One difference, something new actually, is that there are two possible endings and since I couldn't decide on one, I'm leaving it up to you guys. **

* * *

**Mood Ring II**

"Doctor!" Rose's tone was urgent and worried. It was the only reason he flew from beneath the console so fast that he hit his head on it. Clutching at his throbbing forehead, he looked for the danger.

"What is it?" He asked Rose who was striding towards him. Something wasn't right. She was grinning wickedly. Suddenly, she'd jumped on top of him and was now sitting over his chest. "What are you doing, Rose?" He eyed her right hand suspiciously; she had her fist clenched around something.

"Testing you." She replied mysteriously, her eyes sparkling as she clutched at his left hand.

"For what?" He snatched his hand away and rubbed at his sore head.

"That's what I'm trying to find out," Rose grinned and outstretched her palm. "Now give me your hand and no one gets hurt."

"I'm already hurt," he complained, but he complied and placed his own hand, palm up, over hers.

She unclenched her other hand and slipped what felt like a ring onto his finger triumphantly. It took his spectacular Time Lord brain .75 seconds to figure out what game she was at. He so suddenly snatched his hand back that he startled her. That didn't particularly bother him as he was concentrating on preventing her from her goal by hiding his hand as far within the console as he could reach.

"Doctor," she complained. "No fair."

He scoffed as he tried to remove the offending object one-handedly. "No fair? You're the one who didn' even ask my permission to put this on."

"I just want to see," she dismissed him before learning forwards to steal his hand back. She had just managed to get a hold of his hand before he snatched it away again sideways. Losing her balance, Rose tumbled down. Her hands landed roughly on the floor beside him and before she could stop her descent, her lips were pressing into his. Their eyes met and in a flash Rose was backing away. But as she sat up, her head hit the console's edge. She cursed and stopped moving to cradle her head.

"Are you alright?" The Doctor forgot his predicament and placed his hands gently around her head.

Ending 1: She forgot her pain and gazed down at him. He gazed back in silence. As Rose leaned down to kiss him again, his hand came to rest at the back of her neck. The ring faded to a deep, content magenta but was forgotten as its wearer and owner tried to remember who they were in terms of each other.

OR (from …gently around her head.)

Ending 2: "A-ha!" Forgetting her pain and embarrassment, she grabbed his hand and held it strongly against her as she used her free hand to unroll a scroll. "Red, let's see, let's see." He lay silently below her, letting her read. "Ah, here it is. Says, red is a sign of l-." She stopped reading out loud without taking her eyes from the paper. "Oh." Her cheeks began to turn pink. She seemed determined not to look at him, but he wouldn't have it. When she made to stand, he stopped her. She dared to look at his face to see, in surprise, that he was grinning brightly.

"So, Doctor," he asked cheerily, raising his eyebrows suggestively. "What are the results of my test? Do tell."

* * *

**A/N: So, which did you like more? The kiss or the tell? **


	50. Guess Who

**A/N: Wow! Can you guys believe we've made it to fifty chapters already?! Thanks so much for all of you who have stuck around for so long already! These are all for you! Also, I know I haven't been the fastest updater lately, but bear with me…school is trying to kill me all over again this semester. Hope this bucket of fluff below is just what the doctor (pun fully intended) ordered.**

* * *

**Guess Who**

Rose sat typing away at her computer. She was in that state of daze where everything she did was automatic. The words moved swiftly from her brain to the screen. But there was still a little conscious corner of her brain that sighed disbelievingly. Typing reports. That's what she'd resorted to. Albeit they were reports of alien sightings…little more exciting than most office reports but not by much. She was brining of a particularly exciting (not) section of the report when her eyes were suddenly covered by a pair of hands.

"Guess who," a voice trilled.

Rose frowned and let out an annoyed breath. "Xasha."

Her co-worker laughed, but strangely, the sound came from a distance beyond her desk, not behind her.

"No," Xasha dragged the word out. "Your fried there asked me to tell you what game you're playin'."

Rose groaned in annoyance. "Who is it, Xasha?"

Her friend laughed again. "No way, Rose. You've got to guess."

Rose sighed again and pushed herself away from the desk. Her assailant moved backwards with her, keeping his or her hands in place. Rose shrugged, shaking her head a bit. "Oh, I don't know. Mickey?" The hands twitched and then moved her head from side to side. "Right," she pursed her lips in thought. "Dad?" Her head shook again. Rose huffed. "Jake? Tom? Mason?" Three shakes of the head.

"Oh, come on. Who is it?"

"No fun, Rose." Xasha laughed. "Keep at it."

"Fine." Rose crossed her arms. "Is it Alice?"

"Nope," Xasha giggled, and her head shook back and forth once.

"Sarah? Jane? Mary?" The hands shook again side to side. Rose sighed again loudly, her hands shooting up to cover the ones over her eyes. She tried to pry them away but they, gently as they could, stayed where they were stubbornly. She quieted, trying to hear. She could hear the soft breathing of whoever it was.

"Who are you?" Rose breathed. She explored the hands with her fingers. They had to be a man's. Long, graceful…hairy? She froze. 'Manly hairy hands' echoed in her head, words long since spoken but blessed to her hears. "Who?!" she cried suddenly, prying at the hands desperately. Her voice was panic stricken. "Please," she cried.

She felt someone behind her bend down, felt warm breath on her neck, her ear. A voice spoke. One word. "Guess." One beautiful word in the voice she only thought she'd ever hear again in her dreams.

She began to cry, pressing her palms against the back of his hands against her eyes. She bent over, joyful sobs racking her body. He bent with her, turning until he was in front of her, hands still on her face. She opened her sorrowful eyes to see the most beautiful sight. He was crouching in front of her in her chair, his hands cupping her face, his eyes wet with unshed moisture.

"Guess who." And his voice tremored with emotion. She could hear how happy he was because she felt the same tone in her heart.

And suddenly she launched herself into his arms. And they became a tangle of crying arms and legs on the main floor of Torchwood. Their tears fell, undistinguishable from each other's. They shared a couple wet, salty kisses, but more than that Rose pressed herself into him as he sprawled out on the floor, laughing. She didn't want a sliver of air between them. She felt complete now. She remembered, though, how it felt to try to live in pieces. She never wanted to know the feeling again. She wasn't sure she could. She was whole now. He kissed her neck Oh, but she was whole. She was sure she'd die if he ever let her go again. Little did she know, he didn't plan to.


	51. Perfection in Uncertainty

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update, sorry for making it so short, sorry to those of you who left reviews I have yet to reply to, sorry for having so much to be sorry for, but I hope this was worth the wait. Let me know! Thanks for reading!**

* * *

**Perfection in Uncertainty**

She saw perfectly the life she could have had. She didn't see it the way the Doctor could, with intertwining time lines and complex shifts in the Vortex. She just knew, plain and simple. On Earth, no Doctor, no TARDIS, no complications, Mickey was her soul mate. They complemented each other perfectly. She made him brilliant, and when she started drifting too far from the Earth's surface, he brought her back. The life they could have shared was but a dream. A wedding. Rose had always dreamed of a traditional wedding with the slightest twists and turns. The most beautiful children: his skin, her eyes, his grasp of reality, her ability to dream. They'd grow old happily. They'd fight and they'd make up, and life would be better than ever. The truth was she'd seen herself holding Mickey's hand forever. But it was _only _a dream now because now that she'd seen what else could be, anything else would be settling.

The Doctor wasn't her soul mate, even. He was so much more, in every way. He didn't tether her to the Earth; instead, he took her hand and dragged her past the atmosphere with him. With him, she didn't see a wedding. She didn't see children or taxes or mortgages. She saw stars. She saw aliens and spaceships and planets. She saw battle and brilliance and beauty. Sometimes, she didn't know what she saw; she didn't know what was coming, and she loved the feeling. It might be almost disturbed, but she loved not knowing if she'd be living or dying by him the next day, but that was only because, when it came to him, she was happy to do either.

Uncertainty with the Doctor was infinitely better than plain certainty with someone else.

* * *

.


	52. The Grand Canyon

**A/N: Spring break means an update! Also, no school. Woo hoo for spring break! Enjoy! Thanks for reading!**

* * *

**The Grand Canyon**

"Wa-la!" The Doctor proclaimed triumphantly, flipping the hand brake.

"Wa-la what?" Rose teased with a laugh, but she was already at the door waiting to be told it was safe.

With somewhat of a smug smile, the Doctor nodded as he approached. Rose swung the door open. The sight that awaited her quite literally stole her breath. She took a staggering step outside, trying to find her balance. The display before her was dizzying. They were perched on a cliff that overlooked a humongous canyon. From where she stood Rose could see that it went on for miles. As far as she could see and then some. The walls dropped steeply into a ravine for what seemed liked even more miles below covered in jagged rocks and craggy vegetation.

Wherever they were, it was sunset, and the deep reds and pinks and purples were reflected back at her from the rock's surface. The view was truly stunning. The immense size of the place made her feel so small and insignificant, not as small as the universe made her feel but close. She looked round when he took her hand in his. He smiled at the awe in every line of her face.

"What planet?" She managed in a wondrous voice.

He chuckled, completely delighted. "You really don't know?" She shook her head before gazing again at the unbelievable canyon. "It's Earth," he told her happily.

"Shut up," she laughed. "No 's not."

"Yes it is," he argued.

She frowned. "Is this another one of those times where you show me how my planet got blown up or hit by a meteor or something?"

He chuckled again and squeezed her hand. "Not remotely. This," dramatic pause, "is the Grand Canyon.

Rose blinked. "What…in America?"

"Oh yes."

She squeezed her eyes shut then looked at him. "You mean, this is really Earth…we're really on Earth?"

"This is really Earth," he repeated.

She laughed in surprise. "Thas' amazing. I've never seen anyfin' like it. I mean…" She had to stop to think, hand muffling her mouth as her bright eyes continued to explore the scene. "s amazing you don' even have to leave Earth to see the kinds of amazin' things you show me all the time."

He didn't answer, just gazed back into her eyes until she looked away. "I'm never gonna get over this." She grinned. "Haven't you been here before?" She asked suddenly.

He was, she wasn't that amazed to see, chewing on a gummy candy. It took him a moment to swallow before he could answer. "Oh yes, but no place is ever the same twice. There's nothing quite like sharing something like this." He paused, then, "With you."

She grinned. "I know the feeling."


	53. Nociception

**A/N: Summer = LOVE . So, I just kicked Economic's a**, and I'm feeling pretty good! Semester is finally over, ready to graduate and move on over to UCLA! GO BRUINS! Haha, anyway, that's my life. It also happens to be lapsing into the occasional emo phase, so I thought I'd start our summer off with something a little blue, but still beautiful, as far as I'm concerned. Enjoy! And it is good to be back to my first true love: FF! *hugs* all, I missed y'all!**

* * *

**Nociception**

Nociception. The perception of pain. One of the experiences we most try to avoid when it's really one of the most important things keeping us alive. Without it, how would we know when our arms are broken, when to go to the hospital when our hearts need mending? The beautiful thing about pain is it doesn't actually exist. Except for in our heads.

Phantom limbs. The Doctor knew a thing or two about those. He'd read a lot. People lost arms, and every once in awhile, their brains would try to convince them they still had that arm or that leg. Missing fingers would send pain shooting through the brain. Unfortunately, the Doctor had some experience here too. He was missing something far more important than a hand or a toe. What he had was a Phantom Rose, and the pain was constant. Because he had become so used to her, she may as well have been an extension of his body. And the knowledge that he could feel her still so strongly when she was so completely gone was what brought the pain.

When she'd been four-years old, Rose had cut her fingers on an aluminum can. Her mum never had been too careful, but it was her mum who took care of her. She'd patiently bandaged the wound as Rose screamed and cried. It had hurt. A lot. Rose would never have had such a vivid memory of the moment if it hand't been for the terrible pain. "It hurts." She remembered telling her mother over and over. "I know, Sweetheart," her mum had said as she held her. "But that'll go away wif' time, soon as you're better. But, you know, without the hurt, you wouldn' 'ave known you needed a bandage, love. You'd 'ave bled all over my kitchen." Then she'd tickled Rose until she was laughing uncontrollably, the pain forgotten. Her mum had been right. The pain had gone away, and it hadn't taken long. Rose wondered two things. She wondered how long it would take for the pain of losing what she loved most to leave. And she wondered if even her mum could put bandages on her heart.

Some people had it good. They couldn't feel pain. Literally. None at all. Zilch. Nada. Zero. They could walk through fire without feeling the burn, break an arm and keep on going. The downside, of course, was they didn't live long. Jack smiled morbidly. They were the lucky ones still. He was jealous. He couldn't help it. He wondered what it would be like to die by gun, by electric shock, by time...without feeling a thing. And he hoped the heart was as immune as the nerves when it came to that.

Gwen used to think she had an ability, like a superpower or magic. She could feel the pain of others as if it were her own. Somtimes it was a gift. Most times it was a curse. Then she heard of more active anterior cingulated cortices and how people who were already good at empathizing and had those could feel the pain of others. She wasn't special after all. There was a scientific explanation. Science stopped there though because it couldn't stop her from sharing pain that wasn't even hers in the first place.


	54. Someone for Everyone

**A/N: Summer is love. Read. Review. Laugh. Smile. Go to the beach. This chapter is dedicated to I can't remember the pen name of the person but they requested that I write a Martha/Mickey story...almost a year ago, and I finally got around to it. Yay for me. And sorry whoever you are that I can't remember, but this one's for you!**

* * *

**Someone for Everyone**

Mickey waved goodbye once more to Jack and fell in stride with Martha. "Where are you off to then?" He asked.

She turned with a partial smile. "UNIT. Might as well report in. Then I'm off to get rid of that Osterhagen thing. You?"

Mickey frowned, thinking. Martha laughed.

"Didn't you think twice before you stayed?"

He smiled softly. "Yeah. 'Course. I'll figure somethin' out."

Martha smiled back. "Why don't you come with me?"

Mickey gave her a look of surprise. "With you?"

"Yeah. We're always looking out for bright people to hire."

Mickey concurred and began to walk with new purpose. "So…what, you guys catch aliens and stuff?"

Martha snorted. "Not exactly. That's Torchwood. We do have an alien department, but they mostly deal with technology. We're more along the lines of international security."

"Change of scenery." Mickey declared with a grin. "I like it."

"Me too," Martha grinned back. "So, what's your story? Travel with the Doctor a bit?"

"That yours?"

She nodded.

"Nah, not really. Well," he paused. "A bit, but it wasn't really my style."

Martha chuckled. "No, nor me. Well…I did like it though."

Mickey studied her thoughtful face. "You fancied him." It was a statement. Martha didn't deny it. "Yeah." Mickey said somewhat bitterly. "Guess that's what happens when you travel with 'im."

Martha raised her eyebrows. "You…?"

It took Mickey a moment to understand the open-ended question. "No," he spluttered. "Not even. That's just you girls." He paused. "And Jack."

"And Jack," Martha laughed in agreement. "Do you mean Rose though?" She asked suddenly.

He nodded, then hesitated and then he grinned. "Oh, you wouldn't like her, would you?"

"Wait," Martha rose her hands defensively. "That's not what I said."

"You don' have to. I got it though. 's how the Doctor made me feel. And her when she was with him."

"Not you too," Martha teased.

"What?"

"In love with Rose Tyler."

Mickey sighed. "Not anymore. Least not that way. They're better off together anyway. Together. Perfect fit and all that."

"Yeah," Martha mused. "Guess, in the end, there really was someone for everyone. Even him."

Mickey glanced sideways at her. "Do you think?"

"I do." She smiled sadly. "Maybe I just haven't found my someone."

"Yeah." Mickey looked thoughtful. "Tell you what…do you want to get a coffee?"

She looked at him in surprise, then smiled. "Alright." Her smile grew when he took her hand suddenly.

Oh yes, she was going to be having a good day.


	55. He Loved Her

**A/N: Something short and sweet and random from the Doctor to Rose. Hope you like. Thanks for all the reviews lately and for you loyal readers!**

**He Loved Her**

He loved her in the winter as much as he loved her in the fall.

He loved her in the fall as much as he loved her in 1869.

He loved her in 1869 as much as he loved her on the moon.

He loved her on the moon as much as he loved her in pink.

He loved her in pink as much as he loved her at night.

He loved her at night as much as he loved her in the morning.

He loved her in the morning as much as he loved her on Earth.

He loved her on Earth as much as he loved her before her met her.

He loved her before he met her as much as her loved her when she left.

He loved her all the time, all the where as much as he always would. But he didn't think he could ever love her more or less than when she came back to him. And smiled.


	56. All You Wanted

***gasp* An update! I know, it's been ages! And I'm so sorry about that, but school took over my life, and now that I've partially stolen it back for the summer, I wanted to share this tiny tidbit with all of you that I've had for awhile. Written with "All You Wanted" by Michelle Branch as an inspiration. Lyrics in italics. I don't own either Doctor Who or the song. Thanks for reading and reviewing if you'd like! =)**

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_I wanted to be like you. I wanted everything. So I tried to be like you. And I got swept away._

The first time she'd met him, he'd blown her away. There were no better words for the effect he'd had on her. The more he told her, the more she learned, the more she needed to know more. She'd known he was dangerous, but that had been part of the thrill. She'd walked away the first time because he'd told her to, but when she got a second chance, when he found her again, she wanted to prove she could be brilliant. So she tried to be like him. Because that's what he was: brilliant. The second time, she let him walk away, but then he came back. He gave her a second chance to be brilliant. She took it.

_I didn't know that it was so cold. And you needed someone to show you the way. So I took your hand, and we figure out how that when the tide comes I'd take you away._

After that, she knew she could never let him out of her sight again. At first, she was fascinated by him. He'd shown her things she'd never even known existed. Slowly, fascination gave way to awe. She realized he was more than brilliant. He was impossible and that much the better for it. Awe evolved into admiration, into friendship, into care and worry, into something deeper she couldn't name. Now, when she took his hand, she meant it.

_If you want to, I can save you. I can take you away from here. So lonely inside. So busy out there. And all you wanted was somebody who cares._

As time wore on, she began to get to really know him. It came to the point where she could tell what he was thinking by the way he smiled. The more she learned of him, the sadder his life made her feel. She felt sad too knowing he'd given her more than she could every repay him for. When she told him, he smiled. "You don't have to do anything, Rose. Just go on being you…with me. That's payment enough." So, for his sake, she continue being human, and she saved him in the process.

_I'm sinking slowly. So hurry hold me. Your hand is all I have to keep me hanging on. Please can you tell me. So I can finally see. Where you go when you're gone._

But he saved her too. She needed a hand just as much as he did. And he was there to give it. Slowly, he became her home. The closer to each other they were, the happier they stayed. There were times when she felt like the other half of him. Those times scared him. Because there were times he needed to get away from the madness that was his life. So he went away then, and sometimes she seemed to come with him. Before her, no one had ever gone with him to the place where he escaped. Soon, she went so often that she became his escape.

_If you want to, I can save you. I can take you away from here. So lonely inside. So busy out there. And all you wanted was somebody who cares._

She'd needed him as much as he'd needed her. By saving each other, they'd saved themselves. They'd never be the same again, and somehow that counted for everything.


	57. Vanilla Twilight

**I know. I know. I know. It's been ages. And all I can say is I'm sorry, and I hope this chapter makes up for it a little. Inspired by the song "Vanilla Twilight" by Owl City, which I do not own. Nor do I own Doctor Who. Alas. Review?**

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"_The stars lean down to kiss you, and I lie awake and miss you…I'd send a postcard to you dear cuz I wish you were here."_

There were still moments when he would stop and gaze at the stars. He would stop and actually breathe. He would think. But thinking was dangerous. Because it always led back to thoughts of her. And that made him sad. Not that he wasn't happy for her. She finally got to live the life she'd always wanted. With him, no less. It made him sad because sometimes, just sometimes, he almost wished that he'd gotten to live that life too. With her. She was the only one who had ever made him believe that he could settle for the domestic.

"_I'll watch the night turn light-blue, but it's not the same without you because it takes two to whisper quietly."_

She stood on the porch of their lovely little house and gazed longingly up at the stars, her arms crossed over her chest. A noise uttered from within the house startled her back to reality and she threw a look over her shoulder. The house was silent again. Her eyes found their way back to the sky. It was funny. She was living exactly the life she had been wishing and hoping and praying for the last few years. But somehow it wasn't the same. Not that she wasn't happy. Oh, but she was ecstatic. Still, there was that little voice of doubt in her heart that told her how much better it might have been.

"_The silence isn't so bad 'til I look at my hands and feel sad cuz the spaces between my fingers are right where yours fit perfectly."_

If there was one thing he missed above everything else, it was holding hands with her. Not for the sole physical act of it all. But because, when she was around, he was never alone. No matter where he disappeared to in his mind, no matter how dark, all she had to do was slip her warm hand into his, and the world was right again. Even if it wasn't. How funny the impact that one tiny human act had on him. But the truth was, it was her hand that did it. Her presence. How he missed it all. The smile. The laugh. The voice. He clenched his lonely hand as he turned away from the Powell Estate and walked back to the Tardis in silence.

"_I'll find repose in new ways, though I haven't slept in two days cuz cold nostalgia chills me to the bone."_

The sleeping had gotten easier since she had gotten "him" back, but sometimes the memories and the dreams kept her away even when "he" had long since dozed off. At times like those, she would carefully and silently slip out of bed without waking him. She would find herself on their front porch, watching stars that seemed familiar. But they weren't the same ones she knew with him. These weren't the stars they had braved together so many times. And these weren't the stars he danced in and out of every day. He was a long way away, and nothing could bring him back. Except for these memories of hers.

"_As many times as I blink, I'll think of you tonight."_

There wasn't a moment that she wasn't somehow on his mind. That was the way of the Time Lord brain. Multi-layered, really. He could think of a million things at the same time, could feel about a billion all at once. So there was a constant hum in his brain that was her, the memory of her. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't stop thinking of her. Not, actually, that he ever wanted to stop.

"_And I'll forget the world that I knew, but I swear I won't forget you. Oh, if my voice could reach back through the past, I'd whisper in your ear, Oh, darling, I wish you were here."_

She could get used to it. Not living with him. No adventures. Not like they used to be. But she would never forget him. Never could. As brilliant as "he" was in this universe, as much as she truly loved "him"…there would always be a piece of her heart that belonged only to the him that she had first met, oh so long ago. That part of her would always miss him, would always want him to come back.

No matter what, there would always be a part of all three of their hearts (the Rose's one and the Doctor's two) that would keep on fighting to be together, no matter how impossible, especially because it was impossible.


	58. Heart's Desire

The Doctor treaded carefully through the dark tunnel. Whatever he did, he had to find Martha and soon. He didn't think he could bear to lose another companion.

Suddenly, a familiar fragrance crept through his nostrils. Rayon powder. What was that doing down here? He sniffed the air. Oh yes, that was definitely Rayon powder. But that belonged in a mystical shop back on Blugoon. His eyes narrowed. He knew what accompanied that. And he'd been subject to its effects before. A long time ago. But that meant he wasn't immune to it now. Any second now, he would see. He only wondered if it would be what he thought it should be.

"Doctor." A voice called for him from down the dark tunnel.

Finally. "Martha!" He jogged towards the noise. As he turned the corner, he stopped dead. Well, there was his answer. It was what he thought it should be.

"Doctor." Rose repeated. Except it wasn't Rose. But…that was her smile. "There you are."

His throat tightened, threatening to close completely. He dared not speak.

The figure stepped forward, making his mind reel. She looked so realistic. That's why there were universe-wide bans on certain chemicals. They warped reality. Even for a Time Lord. They were dangerous. He wanted so hard to believe.

"What's wrong?" She was inches away. Except it wasn't her. But it smelled like her. His mind argued with him.

He opened his mouth to speak, to reply, but he stopped himself. He couldn't acknowledge it. He had to turn away. If he, even for a moment, pretended that what he was seeing was real, he would break when reality came crashing back down on him.

"I miss you," she whispered.

He didn't know what to do. He couldn't turn away, no matter how hard he tried. It would be akin to turning his back on the real Rose. He could never do that. His hearts ached with a deep pain. Your heart's desire, they called it. Oh, he'd seen it coming, but he hadn't wanted to recognize it. He should be seeing his people, Gallifrey. Here, now, was his utter heart's desire revealed to him.

"Why did you leave me?" The figure asked in a heartbreaking rendition of Rose's crying voice.

"I didn't." The words came out of their own accord. He'd had no power. He couldn't let her think such things, even if she wasn't real. "The walls. They closed. There was nothing I could do."

"I was going to be with you forever." Sparkling tears ran down her face, and he wanted nothing more than to make them fade away. He knew, though, if he touched her, _she _would fade away, and he would be left alone staring at empty air.

"I know." His voice broke. "I know, and I'm sorry."

"Are you alone?" She asked sadly now.

He shook his head, not trusting himself to speak.

"Good." She smiled now. "I just want you to be happy. My Doctor." She reached a hand out. It looked so solid. "All I ever wanted…was for you to be happy."

Maybe she would become real. As he reached his own fingers forward, he wished for that harder than he'd ever wished for anything before. As soon as his hand reached the space where the figure was, she disappeared. He started, shocked. A lone tear ran down his face.

It took him a minute to compose himself, but the point was that he did. He cleared his face and took a deep breath. No, he wasn't alone. Maybe it wasn't the same as being with her, but it was all he had. And that would have to be enough. Because he had to be happy. For her. As happy as he could be without her at least.


	59. Corners

Desperately sorry for the LONG hiatus between this and the last update, and I know I don't deserve it, but I hope you all read and enjoy this anyway; reviews optional but appreciated and bound to get even more chapters out of me, especially as these fingers are itching to write again.

Set during Doomsday right at the end as the Doctor's image disappears from Bad Wolf Bay.

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Chapter 59 – Corners

Oh, how he loved cutting corners. Rules or no rules. Rules preferred, if he was being honest. How he loved breaking the rules. There'd never been a time when he hadn't done so when he'd known he could, especially if it would help him at a certain task, which usually involved him saving someone, or lots of someones.

Now, as he watched Rose's image fizzle and fade, replaced by the view of the cold, hard surface of his TARDIS, his brain worked at its usual 32,000 miles per hour, searching as always for a way around defeat. A way to cut corners. A way to break the rules. And the rules were steadfastly clear in this case. Unless he wanted to destroy a multitude of universes simultaneously, Rose was now forbidden to him. As forbidden as she'd ever been but now out of touch.

There were ways. Oh, there were ways. There were always ways to break the rules, almost always a way to cut corners. And there it was right in front of him. He knew exactly what to do, the exact steps to take, each and every one of them, and in what precise order they'd have to be taken.

But he had limits. Oh, he had limits. He hadn't before Rose really. Before Rose. He hadn't had limits like he did now. And that was the irony of the whole situation. Rose had made him more human in the only way that really mattered.

Oh, he'd considered it. Seeing her tears made his fingers itch to flip the switches, turn the knobs and press the buttons that would get him back to her, get her back into his arms where he had been so sure she belonged. He thought about it. Oh, he thought about it.

But that wasn't all he thought about. He also thought about the worlds that might exist within those universes, of all the beings that lived between and throughout them. Of all those who would float out of existence all so that he could have his Rose back. For one tiny millisecond, he hated that Rose had made him this way. So selfless. Like her. His old self wouldn't have hesitated. Especially not when it came to Rose. No, he hadn't had limits back then.

Yes, for one single moment. He wished he'd never acquired those limits because he if he hadn't, she'd be back with him already. Selfless like Rose. That was it. Because even though she desperately hoped with all her soul that there was a way and even though, like him, she might consider the option, she'd never let him take it.

So, yes, there were ways of cutting corners, of breaking all the rules, even his own. Way a way to miss an opportunity. Oh, there were ways. They were there, and he was perfectly capable of going through with each and every one. But he couldn't, and the perfect irony was that he was doing it for her and everything she'd done for him, the person she'd turned him into.


End file.
